Cats, Cats, Cats!

A tiny old woman named Mrs. Brown lives in a big house on the edge of town with no one but cats, cats, cats to keep her company. All day long, as Mrs. Brown goes about her business, the cats snooze away. But as soon as she puts down their 60 bowls of cat food and marches herself up to bed, the cats go wild. Cats throwing confetti, eating spaghetti, chasing their tales, cutting a rug, doing the fox trot and the jitterbug, these feisty felines "whoop it up until the dawn." The ever-tolerant Mrs. Brown wakes every morning to a complete mess, but simply sweeps her beloved cats into a heap so they can get their beauty sleep. Although some consider Mrs. Brown to be a little batty, she scoffs at the thought. "Oh fiddle dee dee! / I love my cats and they love me."

Lesléa Newman's amusing cat romp is perfectly paired with Erika Oller's playful watercolors of dozens upon dozens of snoozing and frolicking felines. Newman is the well-known author of Heather Has Two Mommies and Matzo Ball Moon, as well as many books for adults. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter