SCRATCHIE

Help Scratchie the cat sharpen their claws using a variety of textured surfaces.

While this board book might seem in the same vein as Pat the Bunny, this cat takes it to a new, slightly subversive level. Mischievous Scratchie, a charcoal-colored feline, likes nothing more than to “scratch stuff to keep my claws super sharp,” and as the deadpan narrator, Scratchie actively invites human readers along to “scratch things together!” With a determined expression, glowing golden eyes, and a body often posed in unusual angles, Scratchie isn’t an especially adorable cat. Yet kids will empathize with Scratchie’s intense desire to seek out new and novel experiences and textures. The touch-and-feel surfaces are nicely variable, including “rough paper towel” (oddly, rather soft fabric), a raised shiny silver pot, and corrugated cardboard pieces. The tactile elements are constructed well enough to stand up to little hands. The ending, in which a startled human enters the now-trashed kitchen and an unrepentant Scratchie wonders what “we should scratch tomorrow,” will serve as a sort of Rorschach test. For those familiar with the chaos cats can bring, this riotous ending might bring giggles, but it could leave more order-seeking toddlers unsettled. Everyone will leave satisfied by the very last page, though, as Scratchie invites readers to touch one final pleasant texture—Scratchie’s own luxurious fur.

A purr-fectly good touch-and-feel book.