THAT CAT CAN’T STAY

There’s nothing cats love more than someone who doesn’t love them. That’s just one of the truisms that show up in this predictable pet tale. There’s also the father-as-fool, the manipulative mom and the clever kids who collude in her efforts to keep a series of rescued cats. Said cats are found on a rainy day, rescued from a parking lot and picked up on the way home from school, among other things, and while there’s a brief mention of posting notices to find the original owner for one poor puss, in general their adoptions don’t seem to include much consideration of where they came from. Instead the focus is on the father’s increasingly absurd objections, played for laughs as silly tantrums. Parkins’s cartoonish exaggerations are generally appealing, but his depiction of the father in shorts and striped shirts enhances his depiction as a childish figure. Laborious rhymes and excessive repetition make this difficult to read aloud, and the revelation at the end that Dad prefers dogs won’t surprise savvy listeners. Not a keeper. (Picture book. 5-8)