Basket Cat by Katie Abey

The Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760402303
(Ages: 1 - 4) Board book, homes. Katie Abey, English author and illustrator, has created this bright, bold and glossy board book with textured illustrations (woven baskets, furry cats, patterned wallpaper, and wooden floorboards). The humorous illustrations, showing the cat looking very out of place in a hanging flower basket and dreaming of a basket-weave rocket ship, will amuse young readers. Basket Cat just loves baskets. Basket Cat even dreams about baskets. She makes herself comfortable in any basket she can find, from picnic baskets and flower baskets to washing baskets. But none of them are just hers . . . until one day she wakes up to her very own cosy cat basket. The simplicity of this book (perfect for its target audience) means that the text doesn't tell us everything (e.g., what the cats are dreaming about), leaving opportunities for children to point things out and infer meaning from the illustrations. Young children will be able to relate to this short text about having a place (home, bed, etc.) where you feel comfortable and cosy.
Nicole Nelson