Review Detail

THE PROBLEM WITH PIERRE is a sweet picture book about a picky cat, good friends, and problem-solving. Bertram and Alan are next door neighbors and good friends. Bertram is very neat, while Alan is messy. Bertram feels like something is missing, so he decides to get a cat, Pierre. Pierre seems just right for Bertram, but he doesn't like the fancy bowl of food, the fancy bed he bought, or snuggling up on his fancy couch. What Pierre does like is sneaking into Alan's apartment to sleep on his sheepskin coat, eat his leftovers, and curl up with him on the comfy old couch. Ultimately, Alan offers those things to Bertram to help make him happy, but what ends up making them both happy is sharing their house by breaking down the wall between them.

What I loved: This is a simple and sweet story of friendship- and a particularly picky cat. Alan is a very giving friend (giving his coat, bowl, and sofa) to help make Bertram happy, and this sharing and helping your friends to achieve their goals sends a positive message. Ultimately, the story of how they help each other and work together to create a good home is very sweet.

The length of the story is great and works for toddlers through early elementary school readers. The illustrations are detailed and colorful, really capturing each character's personality.

What left me wanting more: As a small point, the messiness of Alan may be a little overdone at first with messiness and dirtiness somewhat compounded. There is also a lot of focus on watching television and its importance to their lives, and I would personally prefer to see something like reading or other activities, but this is a really small thing.

Final verdict: With detailed illustrations, lots of generosity, and good friends, THE PROBLEM WITH PIERRE is a sweet story about a picky cat and the people who love him.