LONG TAIL KITTY

Long Tail Kitty narrates five episodes of his daily life. First he introduces his house and his town, including landmarks from each of his tales. He picks flowers, finds they can talk and plays chase with a bee. In winter he slides on the ice and has cocoa with Good Tall Mouse. He hosts a food fest with friends and refrains from eating all the Choco Crispy Doggy Discs. Finally, he spends an activity-filled day with buddies from outer space. Pien, the colorist for the Printz Award–winning American Born Chinese, liberates her character Long Tail Kitty from his mini-comics in her first solo work for a young audience. The watercolor sequential art on creamy paper in mostly pastels and neutrals is full of action and dry, slight humor—especially the gatefold page of all 70 games LTK plays with his alien friends. That said, the stories meander despite their brevity. The “bonus pages” showing how to draw LTK and his many moods are a plus. Despite its charm, however, this is not a first purchase. (Graphic fiction. 6-10)