WE HAD A CAT

In Goose’s illustrated children’s book, a family’s cat grows larger as they feed it—and its true identity as a tiger is revealed.

The story begins in a style that brings to mind the works of Dr. Seuss: “We have a cat, / imagine that; / she can fit in / a small-sized hat. We feed her / water and / we feed her fish. / We laid it out on a very big dish.” This narration primarily details the cat’s rapid growth and increased propensity for hunting, and it’s punctuated by lengthy asides from onlooking characters: “Wow, that’s a big dish!” comments a snake in the bushes outside; “Look at the size of that really BIG fish,” says a mouse. The value of the latter interruptions is questionable, but young readers (or adults performing a read-aloud) can easily skip them to improve the pacing without adversely affecting the main story. Kholodniak’s cartoon-style full-color illustrations prove to be delightful from the outset, depicting a loving family (mother, father, sister, and brother) with brown skin and dark hair; they also effectively bring out both the kitten’s wildness and the tiger’s playfulness. Clever visual flourishes, such as using a white typeface to match the exquisitely drawn poured milk, add a sense of variety to the reading experience, as do changes in lighting at various times of day. The book is infused with a sense of mischievous good humor, as in a height chart featuring a kitten, a pig, and a horse. Goose’s offbeat near-rhymes (pairing before and horse, for instance) may be slightly confusing for the target audience; overall, though, the story of the cat’s coming of age and repatriation to the wild is likely to tickle the fancy of many young readers.

A bright, busy, and bustling romp of a book.