Flat Cat

The “slick, sly” feline protagonist of this picture book is two-dimensional and loving it: his “smooth moves” involve roaming anyplace he pleases and snoozing “in any nook and cranny,” including, as purple-tinted, thick-lined digital art by Oswald (Sleepy Sheepy) shows, draped over a towel bar. But when Flat Cat is accidentally mixed up with the laundry, he emerges from the dryer as round as a basketball—or, as text from Lazar (Bloop) coos, as “the most adorable puffy, furry, fuzzy-wuzzy feline you ever did see!” At first, Flat Cat can’t wait to return to his independent 2-D state, but when exuberantly affectionate Aunt Harriet, portrayed with pale skin, inadvertently sits on him, a return to his previously flat state slowly prompts a realization that “he wasn’t keen to be totally unseen.” In fact, he now believes that the three-dimensional life has its rewards in connection—feeling “warm, comfy-cozy, or even the teensiest bit rosy.” Maybe, as long as Aunt Harriet and a clothes dryer are handy, he doesn’t have to choose? Featuring groovy text, it’s a Flat Stanley-flavored take on rolling with the punches and fluidly embracing newfound facets and friends. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (Sept.)