March 1, 2019
Meet Flubby, a quintessential cat. Flubby, a rotund gray-and white cat with stubby legs, seems unimpressed by his owner's expectations of pet behavior. He won't sing like Kim's bird, catch like Sam's dog, or jump like Jill's frog. Flubby doesn't even run when it rains. But when thunder pounds--"KA-BOOM"--cat and kid need each other. Morris limits her palette to muted shades of brown, blue, gray, and green with an occasional spot of orange. Short, declarative sentences follow a predictable pattern and complement the spare illustrations. Cartoon panels opposite full-page pictures move the simple story along. In one memorable double-page spread, the action--of the child throwing a ball while Flubby watches and then rolls over to sleep--moves readers' eyes left to right across the spread in three stacked, horizontal panels. A full range of emotions, including happiness, frustration, boredom, concern, disappointment, fear, is conveyed with subtle changes in posture and eyes. The human characters are a multiracial mix. Kim presents Asian; Sam appears black; Jill seems white. Flubby's owner is not gendered and has longish brown hair and brown skin. Series companion Flubby Will NOT Play with That! publishes simultaneously.Nonjudgmental encouragement for new readers--even if they flub up. (Early reader. 5-8)
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July 1, 2019
Flubby the cat won't do any tricks, no matter how much his owner Kami tries. Increasingly frustrated, Kami declares: "Flubby is NOT a good pet!" But when a thunderstorm begins, Flubby and Kami realize they need each other. The short, repetitive sentences are clearly designed for new readers. Minimalist illustrations humorously feature other animals doing tricks for their humans, while Flubby only says meow and falls asleep.
(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)