FRANK AND THE BAD SURPRISE
From the Frank and the Puppy series, volume 1
by Martha Brockenbrough ; illustrated by Jon Lau
Frank, a tuxedo cat, lives the good life until a new addition enters the fold.
When his humans bring home a box—usually a fun thing to climb inside—Frank is horrified to find a corgi puppy. Puppies are not conducive to the good life, so Frank mails a letter to his humans urging them to take the dog back. They don’t oblige, and when the puppy breaks a cardinal rule—she awakens Frank from a nap—Frank swats her (just a little swat) and is placed in his cage. How could his humans do that? When a second letter goes ignored, Frank runs away. But life outside doesn’t turn out exactly how it looked from the window. Other humans don’t want a cat…and it rains…and a bag of garbage hits Frank, so he returns home. When the puppy turns out to be instrumental in Frank’s getting back inside and the humans make some accommodations, Frank changes his opinion of his new situation. Brockenbrough’s appealing early chapter book features simple declarative sentences with lots of repetition and cat-centered humor. Lau’s digitally manipulated, painted illustrations showing a slobbery corgi, an expressive cat, and two brown-skinned humans convey both Frank’s moods and the gentle humor.
A series opener that will delight cat AND dog fans.
(Fiction. 4-8)