cover image Catch Me If You Can

Catch Me If You Can

Cindy Jin, illus. by Stephan Lomp. Little Simon, $6.99 (16p) ISBN 978-1-4814-9218-8

A pink cat and orange dog use cars, boats, jetpacks, and hot-air balloons as they race against each other, and newcomer Jin lets children test their speed, too. Die-cut holes appear in each spread: parents are invited to poke their fingers through them, and children are supposed to catch those fingers before they disappear. It’s a nifty, whack-a-mole-esque concept that should prompt giggles, but it doesn’t quite come together. While Lomp’s retro artwork is vibrant and full of funny details, the accompanying rhymes can be clunky, and the interactive game itself a bit awkward to execute during lap-reading sessions. Ages 1–4. [em]Illustrator’s agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright Agency. (May) [/em]