I Have Three Cats…
by Michelle Sumovich; illus. by Laura Park
Primary    Dial    40 pp.
1/25    9780593112717    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780593112724    $10.99

Three endearing felines, named Big, Little, and Middle, enjoy a happy life until a scraggly stray cat enters their backyard yowling and hissing. The mother of the cats’ young owner warns the child, who narrates the book, that this furry stranger might have fleas or even rabies, and the other cats regard the intruder with wide eyes and arched backs. However, when the persistent visitor starts exhibiting signs of friendliness (including bringing a dead mouse as a present), the narrator can’t resist giving the kitty some food and a bath. A bond develops, and even the other cats, once apprehensive, start accepting this raggedy new arrival. Sumovich fills her clever narrative, spanning four seasons, with such lines as “she appears like a magic trick, mowling like a banshee” that make this entertaining to read aloud. Park gives each cat a distinct personality and look and excels at rendering comical facial expressions and limber body language. The illustrations also deftly mix in some pathos, especially in an evocative wintry spread that shows the child inside a warm house looking out the window at the freezing feral cat. After some climactic drama, the story reaches a satisfying conclusion. Even the endpapers, packed with the child’s cat-centered drawings, are delightful.

From the ">May/June 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.