There Is Not Usually a Hole

PreS-Gr 1–“Betsy and [her stuffed animal] Philippa were very best friends.” Betsy is a red boxy cat and her best friend is small and green. One day, they are out for a walk when they discover something surprising: a hole! Sounds and other things are coming out of the hole. The red cat decides first that they should watch the hole, and then goes off alone to find some Betsy decides she and Philippa should watch the hole and leaves Philippa by the hole to get some watching snacks. When she comes back, Philippa is gone, so Betsy goes to look for her. This is the best kind of shaggy cat tale; while Betsy searches in the bowels of the earth, through tunnels, she finds someone else’s stuffed animal. When she meets this someone else, a bright green alligator named Nelson, both she and Philippa have new best friends. During the long searching journey, there are lots of fun objects for the youngest readers to name, scary darkness to imagine, and a surprise at the end. The simple, uncluttered art work is a good accompaniment to the straightforward text; there is a lot of humor in what Hirst (Monster Food, etc.) doesn’t say.