RUFUS AT WORK

There’s no doubt about Rufus being a fat cat but when his pet owner Posy playfully asks, “Rufus you fat cat, what good are you,” he describes how hard he works to help her, listing a string of good things, while the illustrations reveal the real story. He helps Posy with her breakfast (dipping his paws into her cereal bowl), guarding the birdbath (by laying in it), decorating the neighbor’s car (white paw prints on the hood), exercising (chasing) the chickens and keeping the sun off the rug (sleeping). While the cat’s-eye view is amusing and a spin on the pet owner’s perspective, most of the appeal is with Rufus’s appearance. The acrylic blockish shapes characterize Rufus with alternating large navy and blue stripes and angular facial features. While the antics of this antithesis of Rotten Ralph are true-to-life feline, this switch of a tale is pretty contented, mellow and tame. (Picture book. 3-6)