Cat’s Very Good Day

As a lightly anthropomorphized orange tabby moves through the day in this picture book, it takes on a variety of rhyming identities—many of them reflecting an inimitable sense of feline privilege and mischief. After stretching and yawning in the morning sun, the kitty heads to the piano, and with a self-satisfied, sly grin, strolls across the keys: “Sunrise lounger.// Piano-key pounder,” writes Tracy (I Am Picky). The cat’s young owner, who reads as East Asian, heads off to the bus, but the cat is just getting started. It flings socks from a high drawer and taps out nonsense at the family’s computer (“Sock-drawer slinker// keyboard tinkerer”). There’s a scolding or two for especially egregious behavior (digging in the houseplants, clawing the sofa), but the rhymes’ occasional refrains—“What a happy day,” “What a busy day”—remain as blithe as the feline protagonist, whose energy and appetite for chaos finally wind down when it assumes the role of “Moonlight cuddler./ All-night snuggler.” Digital images by Small (Long Road to the Circus), which have the look of gently washed on-the-scene ink sketches, pay only nominal attention to the book’s human characters; it’s clear from the level of detailing that the focus is a pet whose considerable charisma is rooted in its belief that it belongs anywhere. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. Illustrator’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. (Apr.)