A TOMCAT'S TALE

From the point of view of a cat who'd be pampered if he allowed it, an incisive look at what being a cat is like: communicating with obtuse humans; establishing territory; contriving to get out, and in; philosophically hunkering down in a new neighborhood while temporarily lost; catching mice; getting hauled off to the vet (once, after the AWOL incident, for the purpose of being neutered); making a tentative friendship with another cat. Felix tells his own story in a voice that cat-lovers are sure to find believable: unsentimental, independent, self- centered, confident. It's the voice that makes the events amusing—they don't add up to much of a plot. Best of all are the enchanting drawings. Felix and his friends are depicted in every imaginable activity, the cats' graceful (or baleful or comical) stances and expressions rendered in exquisite, loving detail. There are frequent double spreads plus lots more drawings, including tiny cats perched on, or peaking from under, the delicate page-top line. Cat-lovers' heaven; a perfect family readaloud. (Fiction. 6+)