FUDDLES

A pampered, protected house cat turns outdoor adventurer when he escapes into the front yard of his residential neighborhood and encounters reality.

Fat, flaccid and totally spoiled by his family, feline Fuddles lives a life filled with eating, sleeping and the occasional litter-box trip. When he finally opts for adventure, Fuddles discovers he’s not allowed outside. Obsessed with going out and fighting the foes he knows await, Fuddles initiates a “strict exercise regime.” Eventually Fuddles spies an open front door, darts outside and loses no time leaping after birds on the porch, where his tubbiness weighs him down. He tries chasing squirrels but can’t claw his way up a tree. His catnap in the neighbor’s yard turns into a harrowing flight from an aggressive dog, leaving Fuddles lost without his litter box as night descends. Scared and lonely, missing his family and feeling hungry, Fuddles learns the hard way there’s no place like home. Digitally rendered, comical illustrations trace Fuddles’ journey from spa-like existence in tub and hammock to his feeble fitness training with scratching post and toy mouse to the reality of his outdoor adventure, punctuated by indignant falls, futile clawing, frantic flight and fearful search for home.

Indolent, irascible and utterly irresistible, Fuddles is the undisputed focus of every scene in this hilarious reminder to stick with a good thing when you’ve got it. (Picture book. 4-7)