CAT CAN SWIM

Jump in with Cat on an underwater adventure.

Purcell’s Cat, of Cat’s New Hat and Cat Goes Fast (both 2020), is back again, this time ready to take an extensive dip. Seeking relief from the hot sun, Cat dives down to the bottom of the ocean, passing fish, eels, and a shark on the way to meeting a feline mermaid. Once Cat is back ashore it begins to rain, and sidekick Bird, who naturally stays above the waves, brings an umbrella to the chilly Cat. The end is a nice counterpoint to the beginning, as Cat had started the story hot and wanting to get wet, so it ends on the opposite note. Overall, the illustrations are so simple that nuances can be spotted easily. Cat looks so much the same from page to page that little drops of perspiration are all that is needed to show the heat. The story itself isn’t much of a story; it’s mostly just a series of rhymes. That said, the bouncing rhythm does keep up the pace for little listeners. Though Bird takes she/her pronouns, Cat remains ungendered. (It is not clear whether Cat’s avian pal is the same Bird as in Purcell’s Owl and Bird books, but they look an awful lot alike.)

Doesn’t make a big splash, but Cat is cute enough to make it worth diving in.