CALICO’S CURIOUS KITTENS

A kindle of kittens keeps Tildes’s lovable cat, Calico, busy in this newest edition to the series (Calico’s Cousins, 1999, etc.). Like toddlers of every species, Calico’s offspring consider naptime the perfect opportunity to romp and play. From frolicking in the flour to climbing the curtains, the curious felines investigate their surroundings, wreaking pint-sized havoc in their paths. While their worn-out mama snoozes with a sleepy trio of tots, a quartet of the more adventurous kitties escapes to the backyard. There they discover a friendly pup and have a close encounter with the frog pond. Tildes’s brief prose captures the single-minded determination of kittens on the prowl, while the simple questions inserted into the text draw the readers into the story. The result is a toddler-friendly tale that offers up plenty of laughs. “Ginger is in a bag. Pumpkin is in a drawer. Where is Frisky? In trouble. Uh, oh . . . ” Full-bleed watercolors convey the impish delight all kittens take in their escapades. The brightly hued, detailed landscapes contain plenty of sly feline humor to tickle little fancies. Each of the seven is drawn with an eye to their individual personas: Puff is a soft gray and white ball of fluff while Frisky is a tiger-striped scamp with a twinkle in his green eyes. Brimming with puckish fun, Tildes’s tale is just right for rambunctious little ones. (Picture book. 2-5)