MY CAT MAISIE

The big boy next door has a big dog named Lobo, but Andrew has no one to play with. He welcomes a stray cat with altogether too much glee (``Let's play wild Indians and you can be the horse''); the cat bolts. A daunting attempt to play with the obstreperous Lobo gives Andrew a salutary taste of the cat's feelings; when she creeps back that night, he welcomes her gently and the two make friends. The message here is presented nicey in the events, which this prize-winning Australian conveys in a nicely compact text sparked with graphic words like ``gallumphed'' and in wonderfully expressive illustrations. Sturdy little Andrew is the image of his plump, comfortable mother, who has the same irrepressible gleam in her eye; his relentless activity is reiterated in each deftly observed posture. A perfect blend of text and pictures to make an entertaining story. (Picture book. 3-8)