FLUBBY DOES NOT LIKE SNOW

A pampered, plump pussycat resists frosty fun.

Once again, the adorable but recalcitrant Flubby asserts his individuality. His devoted brown-skinned young owner struggles to please him despite his obstinacy. Like most felines, Flubby finds winter trying. When it snows “a little,” then “a lot,” the child wants to play in the wet white stuff, but Flubby finds it too cold—first, for his feet, then for his back and head. Each time, he retreats to the warm house. The child resourcefully produces tiny kitty boots, a coat, a hat, and a scarf. Finally, properly enveloped, Flubby is not too cold, does not go back inside, and plays in the snow while his owner creatively constructs a snow-cat. Compared to the earlier books in the series, which use characteristic cat behavior to set up the surprise ending, this one finishes anticlimactically, not to say unrealistically. (A cat docilely allowing himself to be repeatedly dressed up is rare indeed, and the cat’s back half is still bare and presumably cold.) But the words are simple and repetitive, and the pictures are engaging. Flubby’s perfectly round golden eyes and ballooning belly will evoke smiles, and when Flubby is depicted sitting with rear legs splayed and a dubious expression on his face, readers might laugh despite the predictable text.

If expectations are modest, this latest addition to the series is mildly amusing.