Shy Cat and the Stuff-the-Bus Challenge (Shy Cat #1)

Sensitive portrayals of food insecurity and child hunger distinguish this compassionate work, a double graphic novel debut from Day and White. Middle schooler Mila doesn’t know why her best friend, Kit, ate three bananas in a row while visiting Mila’s house, nor does she understand the emotional outburst he had about a classmate donating a dented can during their school’s Stuff-the-Bus food drive. Though the pals do everything together, like pet the neighborhood cats and create miniature movie sets, Mila struggles to support Kit, especially when he won’t confide in her. With help from her commiserative mother, however, Mila soon realizes that Kit’s family often doesn’t have enough food. A gently instructional narrative portrays Mila’s growing comprehension of Kit’s situation, and emphasizes the importance of resources such as food banks and community gardens as well as providing tactful personal support. Loose line art and soft color washes feature across cartoony illustrations that also incorporate the tweens’ own hand-drawn comics about the imaginative adventures of Shy Cat. Information about the Hunger Stories Project—an organization dedicated to raising awareness about food insecurity in North America—concludes. Mila is depicted with light brown skin; Kit is white. Ages 9–12. (Mar.)