Archie Snufflekins Oliver Valentine Cupcake Tiberius Cat

DO OUR CATS really love us? Frankly, I'm skeptical. It seems very possible they're just using us for food and shelter and a good scratch behind the ears. Even the cuddliest kitties will take an occasional swipe at us for no reason. I bet if I were shrunk down to the size of a mouse, most house cats would eat me for breakfast. Then they'd find a sunny spot on the floor and dream happy thoughts. Cats are complicated. That's why we relate to them, and why they make such rich subjects for children's books. We've seen plenty of cat books over the years, but four new ones take a fresh approach. Winning the award for best title is "Archie Snufflekins Oliver Valentine Cupcake Tiberius Cat," written and illustrated by Katie Harnett. It's the story of a stray cat who spends his time on Blossom Street, wandering from house to house, and joining the residents in their favorite activities. Mr. Green calls the cat "Archie" as he cooks him fresh fish. Madame Betty calls him "Snufflekins" and "Cupcake" (among other names) as she lounges in her fashionable home. Miss Fernandez calls him "Valentine" as she paints his portrait. Thus the book's wonderfully silly title. One home on Blossom Street is quieter than the rest. Mrs. Murray seems content with her solitary life, but surely a companion would be nice. And when at last the stray cat appears on her doorstep, we happily realize these two are perfect for each other. In her debut as both author and illustrator, Harnett gets everything right. Her story is touching without being overly sentimental (which is no easy feat). And her gorgeous illustrations perfectly suit the mood. She uses warmly colored paints and pencils, and an impeccable sense of design, to pull us right into the pleasant world of Blossom Street. She's created a diverse cast of human characters, each one unique and real and full of personality. All the while, the cat maintains a charmingly aloof expression. Isn't that just like a cat? Papillon, the protagonist of A. N. Kang's debut picture book, "The Very Fluffy Kitty Papillon," is an adorable cat with an unusual problem: "He is lighter than air, which can get him into trouble." He's so fluffy he floats. His owner, Miss Tilly, tries her best to keep him grounded, but nothing seems to work. When she leaves Papillon home alone, her worst fears come true as the cat floats right out the window and into the great unknown. But fear not! All along, a little red bird has been hiding within the illustrations, and it's this bird who eventually comes to the rescue, tugging the fluffy kitty home through the air like a balloon. Miss Tilly is overjoyed when Papillon returns, and she promptly makes a little birdhouse hat for her cat to wear, so the two new friends can always be together. Kang's illustrations of the fluffy kitty floating against a deep blue sky pulled along by the bright red bird will induce plenty of giggles. The story leaves us hoping Miss Tilly will put screens in her windows, and we're not quite sure how the birdhouse hat will work out, but despite a few lingering questions, readers will be happy to see that everything turns out well for Papillon. "Max at Night" is the latest installment in Ed Vere's Max series. This time the cute black cat is getting ready for bed, and saying good night to all his favorite things, when he discovers that the moon is not in the sky. Where could it be? Max puts off bedtime and heads out into the night to solve the mystery. He searches everywhere for the moon. But it's not until he climbs the highest of the high hills that the wind hears him crying out, and it "blows and blows and blows" the clouds away, revealing the moon, big and bright and exactly where it should be. Relieved that all is right with the world, Max returns home and falls fast asleep. Vere's playful, minimalist illustrations are just right for this quiet story. Some might wonder how the cat will cope with a new moon, but everyone will be rooting for Max, and hoping he returns in another adventure. "They All Saw a Cat," written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel, begins simply, with an illustration of a cat walking across a blank page. But when we turn to the next page we find that the cat looks cuddlier than before, because we're now seeing it from a child's point of view. We turn another page and the cat looks more frightened and creepier than before, because we're seeing it from a dog's point of view. Another page turn and the cat looks tastier, because we're seeing it from a fox's point of view. And so on, as "the cat walked through the world." It is repetitive but never redundant, every page revealing something insightful about both the cat and each new animal it encounters. Everything builds to a very satisfying ending as the cat looks at its own reflection in a puddle, and we see the cat from its own point of view. What impresses me most is how Wenzel keeps the cat at arm's length from the reader. He avoids all the familiar feline tropes and uses the cat as a device to teach us about the other animals. "They All Saw a Cat" is as much about "they" as it is about a cat. I love that! And there's plenty more to love. The language is simple and lyrical. The illustrations are fun and energetic. I could go on, but words never do justice to great picture books. You really need to read "They All Saw a Cat" for yourself to appreciate all that Wenzel has accomplished. PETER BROWN is the author and illustrator of many picture books. His first middle-grade novel, "The Wild Robot" was published this year.

In debut talent Harnett's poignant and quietly humorous portrait of a community coming together, there's a calico cat with a semi-permanent scowl on Blossom Street, and he gets around. "Every morning he visits Mr. Green at number three," a fisherman who offers him a fresh fish straight from the skillet. Later, the cat poses for a still life painting for Miss Fernandez (who calls him Valentine), digs through a vegetable patch with a Sikh man and his son (who think of him as Tiberius), and watches birds beside redheaded twins with binoculars, among other destinations. After the cat settles in with Mrs. Murray at number 11, who "no one ever visits," the neighbors take to the streets in search of the cat. Before long, Mrs. Murray's home has become the center of a street whose residents' backgrounds and interests are as diverse as can be, but who share, among other things, a love for one particular cat. Mixing small vignettes with larger street scenes, Harnett nimbly juggles her large cast and the twin emotions of loneliness and contented companionship that she threads though this moving story. Ages 3-5. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.