THE GRANNYMAN

From Schachner (Mr. Emerson’s Cook, 1998, etc.), a book tailored to cat lovers, as those best versed to appreciate the many subtle feline endearments caught in these pages. Simon is an aged Siamese: “With the exception of his nose, most of his parts had stopped working long ago.” He shuffles about the house and is treated as royalty by the family who cares for him. He regales readers with the life he has so richly lived: the “fluffy works of art” he sculpted out of the back of the sofa, the plants he pruned, and children he taught to be good cats. He supposes that the time has come for him to sail off into the great unknown, until his family deposits a bundle—a Siamese kitten—in his lap. As Simon shows the kitten the ropes, he figures there is no need to make his exit just yet, and earns the new name, Grannyman, for his parenting skills. Schachner’s artwork is tender and apt, capturing nuances in the postures struck, the cock of the head, the bend of the tail. (Picture book. 3-8)