BACKSTAGE WITH CLAWDIO

Schwartz debuts with a character created to dramatize the theatrical world in which she grew up. ``Clawdio,'' a cat who lives in a theater, confides theatrical practice and lore while describing his own activities—helping the doorman fend off autograph hunters, comforting the young lead in Peter Pan when she gets stage fright on opening night, raising ire when he gets underfoot. The device works: Clawdio insinuates himself everywhere, reporting fascinating details leading up to the magic of the performance. Catrow (a political cartoonist whose credits include Southey's The Cataract of Lodore, 1992) depicts a complacently plump cat stalking his unusual territory, affectionately caricatures the humans, and zeroes in on the theater from some remarkable vantage points. Not really a story, but an amusing introduction to stagecraft. Glossary. (Picture book. 4-9)