CHICAGO AND THE CAT

Five more mini-chapters about the marshmallow-soft, flop- earred bunny and the black cat who insinuated herself into her home in Chicago and the Cat (1993). When the two go camping, the insouciant cat continues to subvert Chicago's every plan, whether it's dining on a stew of wild gatherings (once she tastes her own concoction, Chicago's glad to share the store food the cat has brought) or climbing a mountain (when a tired Chicago suggests ``the shortest way,'' puss takes her right back to the campsite for a nap). Partly because the humor here depends mostly on taking the easy way out at every turn, this isn't quite as clever or as funny as the first book; still, the characters are well defined and appealing, while their perky dialogue makes for better-than-average early reading. (Easy reader. 5-8)