KAT & MOUSE

Lunch dates get a little sweeter when two friends bring the art of compromise to their menus.

Kat (a blue feline) and Mouse (a darker blue rodent) are getting together for lunch. Kat has packed “the most delicious sandwich! It has BACON, LETTUCE, and TOMATO.” Kat dubs this feast “the BLT.” Mouse has brought a delectable meal, too. “Only the BEST food there is! CHEESE!” Over the next few days, the pair again meet to share mealtimes. Kat totes increasingly elaborate picnic setups and sandwiches, while Mouse packs a modest, star-speckled lunchbox of flavorful cheeses. Sensitive to Kat’s perception of this apparent monotony, Mouse worries: “Maybe I’m boring.” After a trial lunch apart proves “AWFUL” for Kat and makes Mouse’s blue cheese taste “bluer than usual,” the pair agree that their happy mix of habits makes for a healthy friendship. Brightly colored digital art with thick outlines frames the gentle-faced, cartoonish characters on visually clean backgrounds in a variety of page layouts; some pages are divided into graphic novel–esque panels. Beginning readers will find the minimal text helpful; it appears in a bold font within clearly attributed and color-coded speech bubbles (pink for Kat, green for Mouse). This cheery series starter shares the tender social-emotional lessons of similar titles starring animal pals, like Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series or Ben Clanton’s Narwhal and Jelly tales.

A satisfying choice for picky readers.