Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

A young child’s cat, Flubby, isn’t like other pets. Kim’s bird sings, Sam’s dog catches, but, despite best efforts to teach Flubby tricks, he not only seems disinterested, but he also doesn’t comply or try. Sometimes he even does the opposite! For example, Jill’s frog can jump, but Flubby? Even after the kid, whose gender is unspecified, models jumping, Flubby, who’s been napping on his back, paws in the air, leisurely gets up, stretches, and yawns. But when a noisy thunderstorm comes (“KA-BOOM”), the pair get an opportunity to learn the mutual rewards of pet ownership, mostly in the form of sharing comfort and hugs. Short, simple text, accessibly written for new readers, is enlivened with interspersed speech-bubbles and humorous asides. Appealing, animated, colorful comics-style illustrations both depict and expand the story, such as in a montage in which Flubby's owner attempts to get the cute, stripy-tailed, bulky cat to catch, to no avail—Flubby merely watches the ball go by, then has a snooze. A droll and sweet read that cat fans especially will enjoy.