cover image Good Night, Sigmund

Good Night, Sigmund

Nancy Coffelt, N. Coffelt. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P, $13.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-15-200464-4

The illustrations for Coffelt's first picture book, resembling children's crayon drawings, make splendid use of the Crayola rainbow. Her spare, straightforward text is becomingly decorated with bold, simple friezes. ``In the morning, / when I get up, / I put on my slippers,'' says the narrator as his green-eyed cat, Sigmund, pounces on a mouse slipper. ``Oh, hello, Sigmund,'' the child says. Each page features another activity and the repeated refrain ``Hello, Sigmund'' as the cat juggles bananas at breakfast, holds an umbrella in the rain or jumps into the bathtub. At bedtime the youngster asks, ``Where is Sigmund?'' and the cat hides underneath the blanket and behind a plant and finally rests beside the sleeping child. Depicted in fresh, childlike artwork, the antics of this sprightly gray puss should gratify young feline fanciers. Ages 3-7. (Apr.)