CATWINGS RETURN

In a sequel to Catwings (p. 975/C-162), two of the four winged kittens—who now live happily in the country with children who love them too much to exploit them—return to the city to visit their mother, only to find that their birthplace—a slum—is in the midst of demolition, their dumpster home gone. They hear a tiny voice wail "Me!" and discover a black, winged kitten (their younger sibling) trapped in an attic, so terrified that it spits and shouts, "HATE! HATE!" Cleverly, they gain its trust and rescue it; then they find Mother before taking the kitten back to the farm, where it will be sate. Like its predecessor, this is a rather mild little story made interesting by its beguiling subject, the author's wit and felicitous use of language, and the illustrator's fine, splendidly detailed drawings. Again, the small format is unusually attractive and appealing, marred only by the printer's inexcusable use of letter spacing.