Review by Kirkus Book Review
Three new dogs move into a house cat's home territory. With a veritably "purrfect" life, Catalina rules the roost. The marmalade cat does what she wants: eats whenever, plays with toys whenever, and naps whenever. Most of the time, her humans leave her home alone, and Catalina can get "a little blue." Her humans eventually take notice. But when they bring home three Labrador retriever puppies as a solution, they may have overdone it. Catalina finds the pups--Fogo, Burin, and Amherst--to be "too loud, too big, and too many." As the dogs take over her space and throw off her routine, Catalina gets "cranky." She gets "contrary." She gets "CROOKED!" But can she learn to be a good housemate? This Newfoundland import is distinctive, with its childlike cartoon art, small trim size, bold colors, and spare use of black outlines. Two dollhouse-esque cutaway spreads effectively (and hilariously) convey the pets' personalities. The simplified interior design--aside from loud, repeated patterns--draws focus to the animals. Hidden details cue readers that the humans (shown only from the waist or chest down) are expecting a baby. (One human has pale skin and the other has brown skin; strangely, a sketched photograph on the couples' nightstand shows them both as White.) A brief glossary explains some of the regionalisms used in the book. An accessible, humorous tale of family changes--animal or otherwise. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
