Mummy Cat

Once every century, deep within an Egyptian pyramid, a mummified cat “who’s passed through Death” rises from his coffin and goes to the resting place of his beloved mistress, the “girl-queen, Hat-shup-set,” hoping she will rise from the dead, as well. As the cat wanders from room to room, still wrapped head to tail in white cloth, he passes by painted scenes from the queen’s reign and their joyful days together—before their untimely deaths from a scorpion sting. The paintings are more than decoration: if readers are observant, they will notice that the pictures actually tell a story of jealousy, dastardly murder, and justified comeuppance. Ewert’s (10,000 Dresses) rhymes are fairly conventional (“Their couch was set beside the pool/ The shade from date trees kept them cool”), but his narration has the right tinge of sadness, spookiness, and suspense. It makes a fine red herring for Brown’s (Emily’s Blue Period) detailed, atmospheric pictures—which is where this terrifically original and ultimately happy story actually unfolds. Ages 6–9. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. (July)