Templeton Gets His Wish

Pizzoli (Number One Sam) juices up the be-careful-what-you-wish-for theme with sly humor and a midcentury aesthetic that expresses itself in a vibrant palette of 1950s kitchen-appliance colors and bold, graphic forms. A tangerine-colored cat named Templeton is plagued by parents who order him to bathe and clean up, and brothers who steal his toys. But when he wishes them all away (thanks to a “magic diamond” he orders in the mail, funded by raiding his brother’s piggy bank), he soon discovers that the house is pretty lonely. “There was no one to play with. And he was starting to think he might need a bath after all,” writes Pizzoli as a bird nests on Templeton’s head and flies buzz around him. “Templeton was alone,” reads a spread dulled by the dismal gray of night, delivering a one-two punch as Templeton stares out glumly from his house’s single lighted window. Luckily, the magic diamond lets him wish his family back. Cheerful entertainment, with just a touch of snark. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (May)