CAPTAIN'S PURR

Just what makes a cat purr? For the star of this sweet picture book debut—a tomcat named Captain—it seems to be true love (and plentiful food). As a narrator introduces the "very handsome" black-and-white Captain and his home ("This is our house by the river where we live"), Floyd unfolds the story like a family album, accompanying each tidbit with delicate, realistic watercolors that brim with cozy detail. Successive pages reveal more about Captain's habits: "When he is not sleeping or washing, Captain likes to eat. He eats cat food from small round tins. He eats cat biscuits from large square boxes. He eats pink salmon from his special blue plate." Floyd brings a similar degree of attentiveness to her stylish vignettes, skillfully capturing Captain in authentically cat-like postures. But readers soon learn that Captain's life, apparently, has romance as well. Captain makes nightly visits down-river, rowing "his" boat, to "hold paws" with his sweetheart in the moonlight—all charmingly imagined by the narrator. Written in an affectionate voice with a playful edge, this story will surely be the cat's meow for anyone who has (or wants) a pet. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)