Poofy Pussycat! Papillon the Very Fluffy Kitty by A. N. Kang

PAPILLON IS A BIG KITTY. HE'S NOT FAT, JUST VERY FLUFFY.

It's important for a pussycat to be fairly fluffy. But there can be too much of a good thing. That's Papillon's problem.

HE'S LIGHTER THAN AIR!

But despite his perculiar problem, Papillon is a pampered pet. His owner, Miss Tilly, dresses him in costumes, cute costumes like a pepperoni pizza, a piece of sushi, or a squatty tree, that are weighted enough to keep him from floating out the window. But cats hate wearing costumes, and Papillon has soon had enough of it. He pulls off his his ghost costume and refuses even to wear Miss Tilly's little pirate eyepatch.

And he floats right out the window. Papillon loves it... for a while. And then he spots a pretty red bird and tries to float after him. But birds have wings. Cats don't.

Papillon finds himself floating into a dark forest, full of strange creatures. A squirrel stares, an owl ogles, a snake snickers, and a startled elk gawks as he floats by. It's all rather awkward. And then things get scary. A big black bear bungles a swipe at him and a crocodile snaps his jaws just south of Papillon's tootsies.

Now this is serious!

But lucky for this light-weighted kitty; a kind red bird flies by and takes him in tow toward home. And all's well that ends with Papillon well moored, as he is delivered to Miss Tilly's living room, a wiser, but no less fluffy feline, in A. N. Kang's Papillon, Book 1 The Very Fluffy Kitty, Papillon (Disney Hyperion, 2016). While Kang's story line is a little, er, lightweight, his illustrations, done in soft colored pencil drawings, with curvaceous hand-lettering, make the most of this lighthearted story. Papillon in his unwanted costumes makes a perfect Grumpy Cat, and Miss Tilly's inventive solution to Papillon's problem offers a satisfying surprise conclusion. Says Publishers Weekly, "Kang's a talent to watch," and Kirkus Review adds, "Puffy Papillon's the most charming puss to pop up in years!"