Youngsters will fall in love with Max, the wide-eyed, jet-black kitten with an insatiable curiosity, and the mouse who outsmarts him.
British artist Ed Vere (Banana!) introduces his enchanting kitten hero directly: "This is Max," says the text on a sunny yellow background. "Doesn't Max look sweet?" Opposite, the red backdrop telegraphs a change in mood: "Max looks so sweet that sometimes people dress him up with bows." But the feline's furrowed brow foreshadows trouble, and sure enough, a page turn reveals Max stomping on the pink bow. Why? "Because Max is a fearless kitten./ Max is a brave kitten./ Max is a kitten who chases mice." If only he knew what a mouse looked like... Max fearlessly begins his hunt for Mouse in a tin can. A fly appears, triggering the book's engaging refrain: "Are you Mouse?" asks Max. "No, I'm Fly," says Fly. "But I just saw Mouse scurry by a moment ago." Readers will savor the moment when Max finally finds the creature he's looking for, only to be told, "Who, me? No, certainly not, I'm Monster!" The mouse tells Max that the sleeping artichoke-green monstrosity "over there" is Mouse. "Hmmm, I didn't know Mouse was so BIG," says Max, soon before he is gobbled up by the monster. The next spread is mostly black, but Max's yellow eyes peer out of the bottom right-hand corner. Happily, the monster's sneeze saves Max... "Attchooo!!"
Max's guileless personality and single-minded pursuit of his goal make him the perfect stand-in for toddlers, and older children will appreciate Vere's playful wit and wish for Max's return. --Jennifer M. Brown, former children's editor, Shelf Awareness