WHAT A SMALL CAT NEEDS

An endearing kitten learns about the essentials of life.

Relying on concrete ideas and simple sentences, translated from Russian by Traer, Shaloshvili answers the titular question with the basics: “Two small eyes. Two small ears….And whiskers, big and long.” She introduces humor when, before the unseen narrator can mention the kitten’s need for a tail, the wide-eyed black cat runs off without one. She returns for the appendage, then flees to capture a mouse—and returns again, the rodent’s tail dangling from her mouth. (The mouse escapes, but a big teacup of milk resolves the kitten’s hunger.) Sometimes the white page provides the background; other spreads show the protagonist hiding in a gauzy flower garden, sailing in the teacup, or interacting with a supportive bird community. These blue/gray settings, rendered in acrylics and watercolor pencil, are soft as felt. Orange, yellow, and white touches add warmth. As necessities are enumerated, readers will wonder if the kitten has a home. Eventually a small shelter surrounds her; a window and patch of sunlight follow. The author acknowledges the need for darkness, too; it is present “outside the window.” The climax reveals what animals (and humans) need most of all: someone to snuggle with, here in the form of a light-skinned child. Shaloshvili has a knack for creating aesthetically and emotionally rich narratives that even young children can appreciate, and this latest is no exception.

Beautifully captures the vulnerability and wonder emanating from small creatures.