Bedtime cat

Bedtime cat by Lynn Reiser. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780440846376.

PreSchool-K-- Sweet, bright, and involving. Familiarity is the keynote here, relayed in a very easy text in which a little girl returns home at days end, for ". . . washing time and nightgown time . . . and bedtime for me and my cat." Its all cozy, safe, predictable--until the cat is missing, and the child searches the house, a process loaded with chances for readers to join in. She decides her cat is lost outside, and a double-page spread of a dark forest communicates the helplessness she feels. Heading for bed in tears, she finds her cat waiting on her pillow. Considering the simplicity of its story line and the economy applied to the number of words used, the books ability to evoke dismay and relief is surprising. And simplicity keeps the emotions pure. Watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations, in a style a little like Anne Rockwells, are just right for the story, protecting its clarity and applicability. Not just cat lovers but all children who have misplaced something essential at bedtime will see themselves on these pages and will be satisfied with the resolution. --Liza Bliss, Leominster Public Library, MA Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.