Tabby McTat, the Musical Cat

Tabby's meow is "loud and strong"--in fact, he's one half of a busking act with his owner, Fred: "MEEE-EW and the old guitar, / How PURRRR-fectly happy we are." Tabby and Fred are separated by various twists of fate, and Tabby finds love and an even more idyllic life with his beloved's owners, Prunella and Pat, a cheery older couple who don't mind that Tabby is fond of "hiding the car keys under the mat.... And giving the pens an occasional bat." How Donaldson and Scheffler (the team behind The Gruffalo and several other books) tie up the narrative threads so that loyalties aren't torn asunder and everyone ends up happily ever after makes for a surprising and fun read. Donaldson makes those who read aloud work a bit to find a metric footing in this outing, but she adeptly builds gentle narrative tension that will keep children eager to find out what happens next. Once again, she's helped enormously by Scheffler, whose bright-eyed, warmhearted characterizations make this a wonderful testimony to the ties that bind. Ages 4-8. (Dec.)

PreS-Gr 1--Fred is an extraordinary busker. He earns his living by playing guitar and singing to crowds... with his cat, Tabby McTat. When the two friends become separated for a period of time, they try to build new lives. McTat starts a family, and Fred tries out a different act. The feline is torn between his obligations to his family and his desire to find his friend, but, after they are reunited, McTat's son, Samuel Sprat, finds a solution that makes everyone happy. Librarians and teachers can make this rhyming story come to life by strumming a guitar while singing the lyrics in the refrain, "Me, you, and the old guitar, /How perfectly, perfectly happy we are./MEEE-EW and the old guitar, /How PURRRR-fectly happy we are." Scheffler's city scenes in saturated colors evoke a variety of emotions, and the expressions on the faces of the kittens and the people are hilarious. Use this book in discussions about relationships.--Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada