CLICK!

A dog is determined to catch a cat, but mysterious clicks keep interrupting (and changing) the chase.

Smack dab on the endpapers, the angular, roughly drawn dog is already in hot pursuit. Both the newspaper and television (antiquated technology—a hint at what is to come) are reporting that a cat is on the loose. With head thrown back and foreleg/arm triumphant in the air, Fluffy the (very unfluffy) dog barges through the title page and declares that today will be the day. Fluffy will finally catch a cat. But with a mysterious “click,” a mariachi hat suddenly obscures Fluffy’s vision. Another few clicks bring a tiny bunny named Pat, a wooden baseball bat, and a long-necked polecat. All of which enrage Fluffy. “I said cat!! C-A-T.” Where are these clicks coming from, and why won’t they stop? Suspense (along with Fluffy’s exasperation) builds with each page turn. Digital natives may instantly guess the premise—which will, admittedly, take the wind out of the story’s sails—but others will wonder until the final reveal (which pleasingly harkens back to the classic “Duck Amuck” short from Looney Tunes as well). Even the stark white background is a clue.

A metafictive look at technology, with rhyming wordplay to boot.