Cats on Cats on Cats
by Maddie Frost; illus. by the author
Primary    Viking    40 pp.
10/25    9780593690697    $18.99

Beatrix treasures her weekly Saturday visits with her grandmother. Together they eat delicious treats, run errands, and go to the movies. But whenever she says goodbye, Beatrix feels sad, assuming Granny is lonely without her. The solution? A cat! Perplexed by the gift, Granny (who is allergic) accepts, not wanting to ruin her “fun grandma” reputation. She then one-ups Beatrix by adding three more kitties to the mix, assuming her grandchild is a cat lover. Beatrix (a dog person) jokes, “I think you need more cats,” which Granny takes seriously, bringing the cat total to a dozen. Now Beatrix is annoyed: the cats are so much work that they are a disruption to her visits, and she’s worried about Granny managing them all. After an honest discussion about the kitty conundrum, they host an adoption day, and Saturday visits return to normal, with just the two of them. Digitally produced, cartoon-style illustrations contain plenty of small, goofy details of the cats and their antics. With a nod to Gág’s Millions of Cats, this is an easygoing story about good intentions gone awry and about learning to say what you mean, even when you think you may hurt a loved one’s feelings.

From the November/December 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.