THE CAT NEXT DOOR
by Betty Ren Wright & illustrated by Gail Owens
A little girl whose treasured memories of Grandma include sharing the trust of the shy cat that visited them on the dock at their summer home is comforted, the summer after Grandma's death, to find that the cat still comes—this time, with two new kittens. The text's sensitive understatement is nicely reflected in Owens's intimate points of view and soft colors. A well- structured, comforting story. (Picture book. 4-8)