My Friend May

With a tranquil narrative voice and collage-like artwork in subdued colors, Cree-Métis creator Flett (Just Like Grandma) tells the “rather true” story of May, “a big black cat who started out gray.” The feline likes “to be under things, chairs and stools, and sofas,” is “unsure of oranges,” and returns dependably at dinnertime each day. When she doesn’t show up one afternoon, May’s young human friend Margaux worries, and the family searches with no success. While Margaux frets about May, the child helps a loved one pack for a move to the city: “She missed May and was going to miss nitôsis/auntie.” As Margaux sits on the stairs, text traces her concerns (“Was [May] alone, was she hurt, was she hungry?”) before shifting to those of nitôsis (auntie), now unpacking in a new home (“She missed everyone back home, and she was tired”). The story’s surprise ending satisfies, and so does its slow, thoughtful buildup. It’s an emotionally rich telling that smartly, tenderly foregrounds multiple characters’ perspectives to limn close familial connections. An author’s note and an extended glossary conclude. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (June)