Cat-alog IV: Notable Picture Book Cats

Having posted on cat stories for board-book tots and fiction for school-aged readers, it's only right to give equal time to a some great cat stories for the picture book set.

My all-time favorite picture-book cat (sorry, Cat in the Hat) is that intrepid and insouciant Siamese, Henry, created by Mary Calhoun and memorably illustrated by Erick Ingraham. Beginning with Cross Country Cat, in which left-behind Henry fashions skis and zooms downhill to catch up with his family, and Hot-Air Henry in which Henry's curiosity and errant foot lead him to a surprising ascent in a carnival hot-air balloon, Mary Calhoun's simple but elegant text and Ingraham's superbly detailed watercolors combine perfectly.

Henry, who regards himself always as "one smart cat," finds adventures in everything his family does. For example, in my favorite, Henry the Sailor Cat,The Man mistakenly remarks that "cats don't like water," when he and The Boy go for a sail. Gauntlet cast, Henry just has to stow away on board. When he finally emerges far from shore, he rejoices in the experience, climbing to the top of the mast, spotting cormorants, dolphins, and whales, and eavesdropping as The Man teaches The Boy to sail. When the weather turns rough, The Man suddenly falls into the water, and Henry has to find a way to stop the boat and show The Boy how to sail back to pick up his dad. "Some smart sailing Siamese!" yowls Henry into the teeth of the storm.

Other Henry titles include High Wire Henry and Henry the Christmas Cat. If you have a Siamese with a spirited personality, you'll love Henry.

Barbara Abercrombie's Charlie Anderson tells the story of a cat who is very different, but no less savvy. Sarah and Elizabeth adopt a young gray-striped cat who wanders in one night and makes himself quite at home. Christened Charlie, he arrives each week night at dinner time to be fed and brushed, to play with Sarah, and to sleep with Elizabeth. After breakfast each morning he leaves for the woods as the girls leave for school. Because Sarah and Elizabeth are always away visiting their dad on weekends, Charlie never appears then.

When Charlie fails to appear one stormy night, Sarah and Elizabeth go out to search for him, asking their neighbor if he has seen a fat, gray-striped cat. "We have a cat with gray-striped fur," he answers. But "his name is Anderson." Of course, Anderson is Charlie, in his daytime persona, the cat who sleeps all day and according to his other family, leaves at dusk to prowl the woods all night. Both families realize that they have been sharing one very well-fed cat. "Just like Elizabeth and Sarah, Charlie has two houses, two beds, two families who love him. He's a lucky cat."

Whether it's a brave cat like Henry, a b-a-a-a-d cat like Bad Kitty, or a comfort-loving tabby like Charlie Anderson, fictional cats can be as varied, mysterious, and intriguing as their real-life counterparts.