WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, LITTLE CAT?

Each time a little gray cat returns from an outdoor sojourn, her owner asks her about the trip—and imagines what may have happened.

“We have a little cat,” a dark-haired, beige-skinned child wearing tights and a floral-printed skirt tells readers. “When she wants to come in, she taps on the front door.” The cat’s adventure begins with a realistic squeeze under a hedgerow and soon becomes increasingly more whimsical. The young narrator’s initial questions concern where the cat has gone and what she’s seen and heard. Joyous images of felines singing and dancing during the apparent coronation of an orange cat with a red crown are followed by a hint of danger when a dog appears. The questions then allude to the cat’s feelings and possible reactions: “Were you happy? Were you scared? Were you brave?” Imaginative art inspires answers from readers. From start to finish, painted illustrations on generously sized pages combine various patterns, colors, and shapes. Spare strokes add sweet expressions to a host of cats, the dog, a mouse, some birds, and the young narrator. Though the felines peacefully coexist with the birds, in real life, outdoor cats are linked to declining songbird populations—adults may want to help slightly older children separate fact from fancy.

A frolicsome feline fantasy.