How to Draw a Happy Cat

For every problem, there’s a solution, Berlin (I Am Not a Dog Toy) and Matison (I’m Going to Catch My Tail!) show in this winning tribute to creativity. Here, the creators come up with increasingly elaborate ways to ensure that the digitally rendered—and inadvertently demanding—feline protagonist they’ve created is happy. At the start of what’s situated as a how-to-draw book, the narrator assures readers that Cat is “fun and easy” to sketch from rounded, black-lined rectangles, three triangles (for the ears and nose), some additional lines for whiskers and appendages, and, of course, a smile. But though Cat may be simple enough to draw, the figure is not so easy to keep contented. That smile quickly turns into a pout, and after asking readers, “What do you think she wants?” the narrator draws Cat successively goofier forms of placation—starting with a bear stuffy, “a cool t-shirt,” and a skateboarding crew, and eventually culminating with “catapulting pizza at you while you’re skateboarding on top of an airplane.” If Cat’s consistent self-centeredness is thoroughly indulged, readers should find it comically relatable—and may gain some artistic inspiration from the ingenuity that appeasing her brings forth. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)