Little Cheetah’s Shadow

This gentle lesson in conflict resolution by Dubuc (Up the Mountain Path) opens as Little Cheetah casts about with a flashlight, looking for Little Shadow. Little Cheetah finds the shadow—who is just like him, only soft and gray rather than yellow and spotted—in a tree, brooding. Asked why he ran away, Little Shadow complains: “You always get to choose where we go. And you always catch my tail in the door.” They try switching places. Now Little Shadow walks ahead. Sure enough, Little Shadow inadvertently shuts the door on Little Cheetah’s tail. “That hurt a lot,” says Little Cheetah, “who now understood why Little Shadow had been upset.” Without a mean or spiteful word, the two work out their differences so that both feel things are fair. Dubuc’s writing is straightforward and unsentimental, and she draws with precision, furnishing Little Cheetah’s house with plants, pictures, even crumbs on the table. The lessons to be learned are made more interesting by the characters’ distinctive relationship. Though they’re not siblings, they’re together all the time, so working things out is a necessity—one approached with clear generosity and affection. Ages 3–7. [em](Apr.) [/em]