Goodnight, Rainbow Cats

A kaleidoscopic cast of 12 cats say goodnight in this contemporary interactive die-cut board book, winner of a 2019 Bologna Ragazzi Award. One by one, variously colored cats approach the cut-out door of a big white house. As each enters the home, a window appears on the next page, illuminated by the hue of the entrant settling in for bed. Featureless aside from white eyes, the kitties are simply drawn, making them suitable companions to Urio's plain, repetitious narration: "Here comes Little Crimson Cat, yawning on her way." The unfrilly approach rightly places all the emphasis on the book's die-cut innovation--it's magic to watch as the white house slowly transforms into a rainbow of slumbering felines. Ages up to 3. (Nov.)

PreS-K--Twelve colorful cats are ready to get some much needed sleep at the end of the day. One by one, each one is asked "Where are you going?" and each cat replies, "Up to a room in the big white house!" As readers turn the page, a die-cut square is present in the color of the cat who just entered the house. The big empty white house quickly becomes filled with colorful square windows. At the very end of the story, readers will see the inside of the house that shows all 12 colorful felines asleep. Young readers will delight in the "magic" of the house filling up with colorful windows and will be introduced to colors they may not know, like lime green and crimson. Repetitive text and simplistic illustration make this perfect for young readers. VERDICT This oversize board book is a super bedtime selection that will also appeal to young children and families looking to enforce color recognition skills. --Kristen Todd-Wurm, Middle Country Public Library, NY