RESCUE CAT

A newly brave stray cat takes the term rescue cat a little too seriously.

Buttercup’s life is lovely, what with her kitty bed, toys, and loving owner, but things haven’t always been easy for her. Before she was taken in by a light-skinned, dark-haired human, she lived on the street, often feeling lonely and afraid. Now she has everything she could want. One day, while watching a nature documentary, she sees a lion cub approached by a crocodile, and though she’s afraid, she decides she must do something. A quick leap into the television screen and she’s facing down the angry croc and saving the cub. After all, she is a rescue cat. The book makes it infinitely clear that simply because someone is afraid of something, that doesn’t mean they can’t also be brave. Savage alternates his artistic style between a palette replicating the look of pastels and paints when depicting the real world and the clean-cut, cartoonish vibe of the world through the television set. Kids will undoubtedly see hints of similar courage in their own kitty cats, even as they appreciate that Buttercup’s “roars” always turn out to be “mews.”

Feline heroism faces down its most formidable opponent in this romp through the wild side.