CASTAWAY CATS

“On an island / in the ocean / near the land of Singapore, / midst a storm of great proportion, / fifteen cats were washed ashore.” Marooned on an island with just a few coconut trees and a cave, the cats of different species try to get along. They find plenty of food, but their search for rescue ships is fruitless. When they decide to build a raft, everyone has a different idea of how to go about it. After a monumental fracas, they work together to build a beautiful raft—only to decide they don’t want to leave. They feel like a family; all choose to call the island (with a suspiciously feline-looking rock formation) their home. The team behind Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea (2002) has returned to the briny with this rhymed lesson in cooperation. Sneaky addition exercises pepper the text: “Fifteen cats me-yowl with woe—/ Nine above and six below.” Lapsit listeners can count the nine in the trees and the six on the beach. The story starts on the cover, and cat fans will beg to start again each time the book is closed. (Picture book. 2-7)