cover image Pussycat Ate the Dumplings: Cat Rhymes from Mother Goose

Pussycat Ate the Dumplings: Cat Rhymes from Mother Goose

. Dodd Mead, $0 (47pp) ISBN 978-0-396-08899-8

The artist's note at the beginning states that Mother Goose didn't exist, although some readers may take issue with that. But Koontz's collection will satisfy cat-lovers and nursery-rhyme purists. There are fat cats and busy mice on almost every page. The humor in the rhymes is played to the hilt: sprawling cats glare at each other in the illustration for a verse that begins ""There once were two cats of Kilkenny/ Each thought there was one cat too many.'' Though not necessarily originalthere have been other books based on Mother Goose cat rhymesthis is a fresh and funny treatment, with kaleidoscopic watercolors that show all the antics. Ages 3-7. (March)