KEITH THE CAT WITH THE MAGIC HAT

Ice cream cone…or magic hat?

One day Keith the cat is happily walking through the meadow when “Plop!”—a triple-scoop ice cream cone lands on his head (ice cream–side down). The other cats mock him…until he denies that it’s an ice cream cone. He says it’s a magic hat. Of course, now the others call on him to do some magic. As Keith reaches for the “chocolatey magic wand” that fell off his hat, it appears to move on its own (readers will note the line of tiny ants that are trying to make off with it). Keith sees the ants but the others don’t; now they want more magic, and Keith likes the attention. Keith (coincidentally) summons a family of rabbits that pops out of the ground, amazing the other cats. When a dog menaces the group, though, Keith can’t make it disappear, so they all race up a tree. When his ice cream hat slips off Keith’s head and lands on the dog, something unexpected happens. Prolific British author/illustrator Hendra’s 2012 tale of feline foolishness here makes its American debut. The boldly colored, digitally created illustrations are full of wide-eyed cats of different shades. With its brief text and clear visual cues, it’s a good introduction for younger preschoolers to the synergy of text and artwork.

A silly romp that does some subtly hard lifting.