CAT'S EGG

The cat has found an egg; now she
must figure out how to hatch her kitten.

When the cat finds a yellow egg in
her basket, she is convinced it’s going to produce a kitten. Her friend the dog
is quite skeptical. After sitting on the egg for a while, the cat needs a break,
so she tries to find a babysitter for it. In turn she asks the dog, the crow,
the cuckoo, and the turtle to help her. However, no one is able to help her,
and now, after being carried around in her mouth, the egg is damp and smells
odd. When she takes it back to her house, the dog discovers that the egg is not
a real egg but a chocolate Easter egg. The cat considers eating it, but the dog
tells her chocolate is not good for her and instead kindly shares his dinner
with her. Kastl’s illustrations are playful and soft, giving the pages an
uncluttered feel. The spatial creativity on display allows readers to see the
story from the animals’ perspectives. While Karthikeyan’s wry text develops its
feline and canine characters well, the story misses an opportunity to explore
the ways in which different animal babies are born or why some people use
chocolate eggs on Easter.

A rather meandering story about a
whimsical cat and her chocolate egg. (Picture
book. 4-8)