Smith's (Gourmet Cats) pun-riddled, tongue-in-cheek caper may be about a pair of felines, but the title's Dickensian spin may be deceiving: it is actually a tale of many
cities and could be an overlong trip for all but the most enthusiastic cat lovers. The volume recounts the round-the-world journey of Agatha Cat and her daughter, Jessica, who leave 1899 England in search of Agatha's sister, Rosemary. Frequently changing residences (and paramours), Rosemary remains a step ahead of the duo, whose alternating journal entries along with Jessica's drawings chronicle their seven-year quest. Text and artwork convey the customs and costumes of each locale and tweak cultural icons. Agatha and Jessica encounter one Mr. Hercule Purrot aboard the Orient Express; and in San Francisco, "the Great Catruso, the famous opera singer" serenades them at dinner. Cats also replace humans in Michelangelo's David, Botticelli's The Birth of Venus
and Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe.
The gouache pictures retain a subtle wink throughout, but the overall theme eventually wears thin. The suffragettes' cause loses meaning, for example, when translated into the "Suffracat" movement. Much of the humor will elude children, and the tiny stylized typeface may be occasionally difficult for readers to decipher. Despite the high points on this peripatetic journey, it is a bumpy ride. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
