Anton and Cecil: Cats at Sea

Feline brothers Anton and Cecil have different ideas about how life should be lived. “Don’t be a chicken, be a cat. Be adventurous!” cries Cecil. “But every cat couldn’t be like Cecil. And every cat didn’t need to hear about it,” thinks Anton. Cecil loves to befriend fishermen and steal rides on boats, while fastidious Anton prefers to listen to music at the local saloon and nap. As (bad) luck would have it, Anton is abducted and brought aboard a barque, the Mary Anne, as a ratter. Cecil is one step behind on the Leone, determined to save his brother, and they use their wits to survive while making unlikely animal allies. Adult author Valerie Martin (Property), writing with her niece Lisa, make their children’s book debut with a quaint mix of adventure and legend. While some characters’ appearances are fleeting and a mysterious event toward the end of the book goes unexplained, the story is rich with seafaring vocabulary and nautical adventure. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author agent: Molly Friedrich, the Friedrich Agency. (Oct.)