MISTER KITTY IS LOST!

Readers help search for Mister Kitty.

A distressed youngster, with brown pigtails and light skin, is looking for Mister Kitty. “He is hiding somewhere inside this book,” the tot explains. “Will you turn the pages and help me look?” A black-and-white dog is also there to help search. “Mister Kitty has 5 yellow spots.” On the opposing page, the dog barks excitedly at five cutout circles. “Do you see five yellow spots?” But a dramatic page turn reveals those spots are not Mister Kitty; they are five yellow snakes! Oh no! Mister Kitty also has orange paws. The dog barks at four orange paw-print cutouts—surely Mister Kitty has been found now. But no, those belong to four orange monkeys! The silly countdown continues, with different colors and different shapes, until there is one triangular pink nose left. Does it, finally, belong to Mister Kitty? The dog is the comedic foil of the work, eagerly finding the shapes but growing more scared at each reveal. The final pink nose spread shows the dog despondent and almost too afraid to look. A quirky twist at the end is the biggest surprise of all. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Simple and delightful. A preschool crowd pleaser.