Lost Cat CL

In this ironic tale of beauty and the beholder, an anxious owner creates a flattering portrait of his missing cat, while the pet's rescuer takes an opposing view. As the owner races around town hanging ""Lost Cat"" posters, exclamation points of sweat shooting off his brow, he remarks that his affectionate pet ""Loves to eat./ Shares your seat./ Snuggles tight around your feet."" He doesn't know the cat has taken up residence at-where else?-""Le Cafe Chat Perdu,"" whose proprietor is at wits' end. ""Swiped my dinner./ Knocked me flat./ Someone please/ COME GET THIS CAT!"" the mustachioed man complains after the extroverted feline leaps and meows through the night. Each man speaks his mind, and images of the black-and-white-striped cat making mischief bear out both their opinions, pro and con. At last, an endearing reunion between cat and owner shows they're meant for each other. Goldin's amiable cartoons suit Hardy's classified-ad-style choppy sentences and easy rhymes; the drawings of the gangly-legged, round-bellied cat hint at the wackiness of Dav Pilkey's artwork. A fortuitous debut for the author and the illustrator. Ages 2-7. (Apr.)