My very own special particular private and personal cat

First published in 1963. A playful, singsongy, almost stream-of-consciousness-like text ("He said / Mmm / He said / Umm / He said / Humm / He said / Hum-de-dum") and bold, minimalist illustrations in a limited palette tell the story of a boy who tries to impose his will on his cat (dressing him up, giving him a ride in a wagon) -- but the cat has other ideas. He wants to climb trees, listen for bees, sniff the air, etc. The boy then begins to consider his own sense of self -- and the book ends happily with the cat choosing to sleep at the end of the boy's bed. This is a very effective communication of the concepts of boundaries, identity, and autonomy, presented in a child-friendly way. Martha V. ParravanoSeptember/October 2023 p.108 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.