Cat's Egg

PreS-Gr 1-Cat's expressive cover portrait, her lengthy body stretched on her green rug with her smirky face resting atop the yellow egg, is a fine introduction to this simple, silly tale. As she tells Dog, an egg appeared in her basket while she slept so she must have laid it. Dog, cheerfully alert and dominating the title page, almost steals the show here. With comic flair, Kastl sketches these main characters in light, basic lines. Other animals, though still simple and suggestive, are a bit more realistic. All interact on broad or close-up scenes beautifully rendered with pastels. Cat looks forward to the hatching of a kitten, while Dog is skeptical. She's not keen on tending the egg and sets off carrying it in her mouth to seek help from egg-laying neighbors. "A cat egg? That's a first," Crow says, peering at the egg. Cat's exchanges with Dog and Crow haven't worked too well. "Cat is annoyed. Cat is peckish." The day grows warm, and further pleas for help from Cuckoo and Sea Turtle on nearby sand aren't satisfying either. Cat's egg has grown soft and damp as she finally rushes back home with it. Dog finally breaks the sad news to her. "It's a chocolate that small humans eat…" Cat's conviction that this egg will hatch is goofy fun, the assorted conversations move at a smooth, amusing clip, and ultimately it's a tender friendship story.