The Cat, or, How I Lost Eternity
By Jutta Richter, illustrated by Rotraut Susanne Berner, translated from German by Anna Brailovsky
Milkweed, $14
Ages 10-12 years
How can Christine, 8, get to school on time when there’s a talking cat in her neighborhood, willing to explain everything? How do numbers come into our heads? she asks. “‘Numbers are determined by the mice. … The mice that you’ve eaten.'” The cat is also full of answers on marriage and the irrelevance of word problems and has some critical thoughts on teaching methods.
The Penalty
By Mal Peet
Candlewick, $16.99
Ages 11-14 years
A teenage soccer prodigy misses an important kick and then vanishes. A sports journalist tracks him, which means understanding the slave trade (in this vaguely Brazilian setting) and different belief systems. A mystery where facts have their limitations.
Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones
By Judy Schachner
Dutton, $16.99
Ages 4-6 years
Skippyjon is a Siamese kitten and Chihuahua wanna-be. His mom and littermates understand that stealing bones from the big dog next door isn’t wise, but Skippyjon doesn’t. The kind of corny that preschoolers love.
Four Legs Bad, Two Legs Good!
By D.B. Johnson
Houghton Mifflin, $16
Ages 4-8 years
Orvie, a pig leaning his chair back against the barn, says he’s “holding up the barn all by myself.” He has scrawled on the barn, “4 Legs Bad 2 Legs Good.” Children know pigs have four legs, and they’ll enjoy watching Duck lead an Orwellian revolution.
Hedgehog, Pig, and the Sweet Little Friend
By Lena Anderson
R&S, $16
Ages 3-6 years
In Lena Anderson’s sweetly kind world, a lost piglet, Fia, is taken in by a hedgehog. Pig drops by to see Hedgehog and falls in love with Fia, who’s asleep with her face in the plate. Essence of piggery and love at first sight.
Meerkat Mail
By Emily Gravett
Macmillan, $17.99
Ages 5-8 years
This one appeals to appreciators of obscure animals, like the Meerkats of the Kalahari Desert, and appreciators of run-away-from-home narratives. Chart the runaway’s return in his postcard commentaries.
