Since I did a dog book yesterday, I read a cat book today: Raj the Bookstore Tiger, a 2011 picture book by Kathleen T. Pelley. (Illustrations by Paige Keiser.)
First response: good title, good cover. I’ve known many bookstore cats, and the cat back arching the length of a bookshelf on the front cover really captured that sense of identity and…monarchy? (Bookstore cats act like they are in charge, and Raj looked like he was too.)
The book itself was pleasant, but not extraordinary. The images remained engaging: good cat curves, good gentle tones. The story, though, had a few aspects that could be stronger. First, the core challenge and reversal–newcomer cat Snowball challenges Raj’s tiger status, but then everything works out–resolves too easily. Second, some pages seemed a bit wordy. (I was surprised when I checked the publication date. It feels older.) Something else that made it seem older was the alliteration. Felicity Fotheringham and Christopher Cuthbert feel like a stretch–forced names chosen for the sound.
However, Raj and Snowball on things, behind things, and under things are pure cat, and kids will like meeting them.
