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“Family is what you make it.” Indeed.
An at-first-unknown narrator tells
readers all the ways that their cat and their dad are alike: They look alike;
they both love milk and sardines and belly rubs; they incorporate stretches and
naps into their daily routines; etc. Lam is tricky in doling out clues as to
the narrator’s identity. A female character does appear about halfway through,
but a few pages later she is identified: “Mom is always picking up after my
dad. And my cat.” (A dirty sock and a dead mouse, respectively.) It’s not until
the final three spreads that the narrator is finally revealed, and readers will
immediately flip back to the beginning to try to spy this character in the
illustrations (in the book’s 15 spreads, eight include the narrator, who may
have gone completely unnoticed in most of them). Lam’s trademark paper-collage
artwork has a 1970s aesthetic: Dad sports flowered shirts with patterned
collars, aviator-style glasses, big hair, and, while stretching, head- and
wristbands. Mostly white backgrounds keep the focus on the colors, patterns,
and characters. Both have light skin; Dad has sandy-colored hair, and Mom wears
her straight black hair in a ponytail.
A tale sure to find a home among
myriad types of families. (Picture book. 3-8)
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