SLEEP TIGHT, GINGER KITTEN

A tiny kitten leaves no spot untouched in his quest for a napping space. Like his human counterpart, Goldilocks, Ginger Kitten has a difficult time selecting the ideal place: a wooden chair is too unyielding, a wee space behind a door too fraught with danger, a doormat too uncomfortable, and so forth. Throughout the house the resolute feline wanders until he discovers a special friend. Soon snuggled up within the cozy confines of a child’s lap, the contented puss at last slumbers peacefully. Geras’s lilting verses offer a humorous peek into the feline psyche; droll descriptions of his capers reveal an innate understanding of what the mysterious creatures are really up to. “Next, Ginger Kitten / Finds a box. / He pushes and squishes, / but it’s much too small.” Picture a windowsill of tumbling knickknacks and one startled, orange furball with great big eyes. Walters’s sumptuous, vibrantly hued paintings are charming; outdoor garden scenes bloom in a riot of colors and overflow with intriguing details for little observers: buzzing bees, fluttering butterflies, etc. And Ginger Kitten is just about the cutest kitten around, exemplifying all of the mystifying, mischievous, and endearing feline mannerisms that make them so beloved to so many. (Picture book. 2-6)