LOST CAT

A big, round cat—with a face only a mother (or distraught owner) could love—gets lost. His owner peppers the town with ``Lost Cat'' posters, while the feline takes up residence at Le CafÇ Chat Perdu. His shenanigans drive the proprietor nuts; a ``Cat Found'' notice is also posted, which leads to a happy reunion. Children will love the way the clockwork couplets in Hardy's first book render two perspectives of the cat's best (or worst) qualities. The owner's poster says, ``Black stripes/Whiskers white/Nose is pink/Has an overbite,'' while the restaurateur's states, ``Huge pink nose/Whiskers light/Some are missing/Some are white . . . Teeth stick out/and don't bite right.'' Goldin's broadly humorous drawing style has a kinship with the art of comic strips—his characters would be right at home in Popeye's neighborhood. The artist portrays the cat—rightly, readers will say—as a total rascal; he's garrulous, colossally independent, and immune to all human concerns. (Picture book. 2-7)