Emmons, Lauren. No Cats in the Library. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. $18.99. Unpaged. ISBN 9781665933681. Ages 4-8. P8Q8
This cheerful book celebrates reading, libraries, and cats. Clarisse is a stray cat who is fascinated by books, even though she can’t read the black squiggly marks inside. She discovers a library, but isn’t allowed inside. Eventually, she discovers the book drop and sneaks in, and eventually finds a child who wants to read to her- and her world expands! The librarian decides that Read-aloud cats are welcome in the library! The warm orange and blue color scheme makes the illustrations seem very cozy, and beginning readers will find Clarisse’s struggles with text encouraging.
VERDICT: This book is especially appropriate for public libraries, but would find a home in school libraries too. I think it will be a popular choice at my library.
Review by Carol Schramm.
Oregon Coast Youth Book Preview Center 