MEOW IS NOT A CAT

A creative youngster solves a field-trip problem in this picture book about valuing what makes a person unique.

A human child doesn’t know exactly why everyone calls them Meow: “Maybe it’s because I get bored easily,” they say, like a cat does. Meow’s snarky, unnamed feline thinks it might be because of Meow’s hat, which has catlike ears. Meow’s teacher, Ms. Snickety, believes that Meow doesn’t listen; “I just listen differently,” Meow explains. On a field trip to see wildlife, the teacher gives each child a banana to offer monkeys, who take every single banana—until Meow, who believes that “sharing is caring,” takes the fruit back in an epic chase and eventually uses a cannon to fire the fruit skyward so everyone can have one. Tills offers a celebration of kids whose brains work differently. Meow is coded as neurodivergent, though it’s never discussed in such terms; the idea that Meow approaches things differently than others do, though, comes through clearly. The author uses short sentences and accessible vocabulary in Meow’s first-person narration, which feel authentic. Saladrigas’ cartoon-style, full-color art perfectly matches the text’s whimsical tone, even incorporating an imagined duck and dinosaur into Meow’s adventure. The iconic yellow cat-hat adds an extra level of expression with changing ear positions.

An appealingly offbeat book with a strong message about appreciating unusual thinking.