JET THE CAT (IS NOT A CAT)

This kitty is unconventional…does that make her less of a kitty?

“Jet is a cat just like any other cat. / She loves to pounce. She loves to sprawl. / And, of course, she loves to swim.” Then Tom the Cat informs her that “real cats” don’t like swimming at all. He thinks she must be a frog. So…“Jet is a frog just like any other frog. / She loves to swim. She loves to eat bugs. / And, of course, she sings in a high voice.” Bull the Frog informs her that frogs have low voices, so Jet must be a bird….She can’t fly, though, so she must be a goat. She doesn’t have a beard, however, so could she be a pig? A platypus? A goblin shark? What is she? She goes home for a relaxing swim, which centers her enough that she can now say, “I am a cat UNLIKE any other cat. / But I am still a cat. And a great cat at that.” This declaration prompts all the other animals to shout out their own peculiarities—which Jet is quite happy to accept. Crede’s tale of individuality and acceptance of self gets its point across in an age-appropriate manner. Little individualists will identify with Jet and respond favorably to Runyan’s cartoon illustrations of wide-eyed animals with bendy limbs and googly eyes.

A brightly colored story of self-discovery by process of elimination.