It’s MY Sausage

In Willmore’s comical debut, five felines in varying hues compete mightily for a lone sausage left on a dinner plate. Told in simple, often declarative dialogue (“Yum!,” “It’s MY sausage!”) and expressive sounds (“Pfft,” “Splat!”) the cats’ physical antics propel the story’s action. “I saw it first and I’m saving it for later,” announces a yellow cat, but others ignore the warning, working in earnest to swipe the tasty treat. An orange tabby peeks onto the page while lowering a hook to steal the sausage, a page turn revealing it atop a gray cat’s shoulders, the two working together. Cats drop in from above, sport disguises, and launch sneak attacks in pursuit of the sausage—the thought of sharing never occurs to them—but the yellow cat prevails (in one spread, littering the floor with mouse traps and Lego blocks to keep pursuers away), until an unexpected twist leads to communal kitty disappointment. A frolicsome feline offering. Ages 4–9. [em](Mar.) [/em]