This clever picture book stars a cat that resents the Easter Bunny's elevated standing and has a plan to take his place.
The humor stems from Deborah Underwood and Claudia Rueda's absolute fidelity to the hero's feline nature. Underwood structures the text as if it's a conversation between the narrator and the (silent) cat, while Rueda's rendering of the furry fellow's posture and expressions provides his responses. First, the cat sees a poster: "Here comes the Easter Bunny." His expression registers his processing of this information. Paws crossed and a frown on his furry face, the protagonist begs the narrator's question, "What's wrong, Cat? You look grumpy." He holds up a drawing of the long-eared source of his disdain. "The Easter Bunny? What about him?" When it's suggested that the feline could be the Easter Cat and "give children something nice too," the cat starts plotting.
Underwood and Rueda continue the conversation, as the narrator coaches Cat for the job and Cat expresses himself wordlessly. But as Cat finds out just how much work is involved, and just how little time there is for napping, he decides there's another way to help celebrate Easter. The ink and watercolor pencil illustrations keep the focus on Cat and Bunny, chronicling Cat's transformation from cranky to content. And a Santa suit at book's end hint at more adventures in Cat's future. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness