The Best Cat Suit of All

It is Halloween night, and poor Matthew misses his old home and his best friend Betsy. He misses making their costumes together and going trick-or-treating--Betsy dressed as a witch and he as her black cat. Worst of all, Matthew is sick and cannot go out at all. ``It won't be so bad, Matthew,'' his father says. ``You can be an indoor cat this year.'' The boy puts on his cat suit and watches the trick-or-treaters come and go. ``They looked dumb. . . . Nobody looked like that back where we used to live.'' Feeling miserable and lonely, Matthew begins to cry, until finally a special trick-or-treater with the best cat suit of all puts him in the proper Halloween spirit. Cassedy ( Lucie Babbidge's House ) skillfully interweaves Matthew's self-pity with lighthearted banter; readers will empathize with Matthew's pain but also chuckle as he pouts. Lucid, rhythmic language and realistic dialogue bring each character to life in this easy reader--a heartwarming tale. Hoffman's ( Jet Black Pickup Truck ; Three Sisters ) drawings, vibrant and intricate, evoke a suitably seriocomic mood. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)