• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2023 January #1
  An old cat is napping indoors when a new pet, a kitten, enters the scene. Cat is crabby and big. Kitten is rambunctious and little. Playing on a climbing apparatus, Kitten is happy. Watching from below, Cat is grumpy. Eventually, Cat walks away and falls asleep. Kitten follows, wide awake. When Kitten pounces on Cat's tail, a chase ensues, during which a full fishbowl becomes empty. Cat pulls Kitten to the cat door and pushes him outside, into the rain. Later, Cat relents, bringing Kitten back inside. They play together, eat together, and curl up for a nap together. On the last page, a puppy is brought into the household, perhaps hinting at a sequel. A Finnish American writer-illustrator, Hokkanen tells a simple, satisfying story while including examples of opposites in a natural-sounding way. In the digital artwork, black and gray drawings on white backgrounds show the action and the characters' emotions clearly. Color is used sparingly in some scenes and fully in others but always effectively. An amusing, enjoyable picture book for reading aloud to young children. Preschool-Kindergarten. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.

Mirka Hokkanen is an author-illustrator who likes fun, quirky animal characters and dislikes soggy cereal that’s been left in a bowl for too long. She began her career as a fine art printmaker before transitioning to picture book illustration. She is the illustrator of Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book by Vivian Kirkfield and the author-illustrator of the early-reader graphic novel Mossy and Tweed: Crazy for Coconuts. When not holding a paintbrush or a pen, Mirka Hokkanen likes to knit, sew, and explore the outdoors with her three energetic kids. But she dislikes stepping on slugs after rain and getting her socks wet after someone has tracked water in the house. Mirka Hokkanen was born in Finland and has lived all around the world as a military spouse.