NOBODY ASKED ME!

No one may have asked this first-time author’s feline character if he wanted a brother, but that doesn’t keep him from roundly enjoying the miscreant’s antics and, ultimately, the pleasure of his company. Bo was king of the roost—“I slept, I played, I ate, and I slept some more. How could you beat that?” —when who should arrive unbidden in a carrying case but little Tiger, all full of vim and curiosity. It takes Bo just about a two-page spread (and seven days/vignettes) to comes to terms with his new circumstances, “By Sunday I just had to laugh” and then he joins in the pleasure of having someone to play with. That is the simple point of Henry’s brief tale. He doesn’t require heroics on the part of the newcomer or an outlandish working of fate to begrudge some acceptance; his message is to get with the program, show a measure of joy in the new guy’s existence, and everyone will be a whole lot happier. Which is not to say there will be no differences of opinion: “But please get off my head!” Henry’s artwork, with its electric colors and cartoon characters, has an antic charm as he depicts the two tossing socks, climbing the refrigerator, and sitting in the tub watching the water drip. A minor crisis—a missing Tiger—brings Bo back to each of their play spots and will bring readers back to the story. (Picture book. 3-5)