PARIS CAT

An anthropomorphic cat learns about fashion and finds success as a dancer before opening her own Parisian club for cats.

Born “in a narrow, smelly alleyway,” Cat’s origins are squalid at best. Nonetheless she is brimming with self-confidence. Still, her first foray into the performing arts does not go well. Kicked out of a cafe for “caterwauling,” she retreats to a cozy spot in a seamstress’s studio, where she begins creating fanciful clothing. A visit to a nightclub results in a gig co-starring with Josephine Baker and her cheetah. Missing her large family, Cat decides to head home to establish Madame Kitty’s Catacombs Club. The name is one of several feline-oriented puns found sprinkled throughout the text. These puns combine with the sophisticated vocabulary and casual inclusion of legendary artists Edith Piaf and Baker to create an archly adult tone that may limit appeal. Some internal rhymes and occasional alliteration are pleasing but can’t quite compensate for the overlong, overstuffed text. Grobler’s scratchy, atmospheric illustrations, vaguely reminiscent of Maira Kalman’s artwork, offer exaggerated outlines and intriguing textures. The inclusion of vignettes, single-page pictures, and double-page spreads adds interest and helps to move the (somewhat clunky) plot along. An author’s note briskly outlines the lives of Piaf and Baker while endpapers feature an idiosyncratic map of Paris that features pertinent locations and a few landmarks. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 90% of actual size.)

Cat’s adventures don’t qualify as a catastrophe, but neither are they particularly compelling.