Red Cat Blue Cat

K-Gr 2—Two felines live in the same house but don't get along. Red Cat secretly wishes he were as smart as Blue Cat. And Blue Cat yearns to be as fast and bouncy as Red Cat. They tease and test each other every day, all day long, while trying to become like the other. Both employ magical thinking to change their personalities and abilities. For example, Blue Cat eats red crab, watermelon, and a variety of other red foods, hoping to become fast and bouncy, while his nemesis is watching. Red Cat shows him he is the smarter one by eating lots of blueberries, blue pudding, and-you get the idea. They finally learn to love who they are and accept each other as friends, until one day… Yellow Cat moves into the neighborhood. Mixed-media and collage artwork creates an energetic and slightly urban feel. Watercolors, pencil, ink, and pencil crayon give Red Cat and Blue Cat vibrancy against white or neutral backgrounds. Short and easy text on each page makes this a natural storytime selection. The illustrations have many clever details, and children will have fun poring over them. Pair this title with Jonathan Allen's Don't Copy Me (Boxer Books, 2012).—Anne Beier, Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Montrose, NY