Year of the Cat

YEAR OF THE CAT is an intriguing story that follows from the legend of the zodiac. In this story, Rat begins to feel guilty about having pushed Cat into the river and wants to go help. Rat convinces the other animals to help him make amends, reminding them that they did nothing to help Cat after he pushed Cat into the river. As they travel back for Cat, the other animals are lost one by one until only Rat makes it to Cat. Cat is not upset about losing the race though, as every year is Year of the Cat.

What I loved: This brings the legend of the zodiac to life with a new story featuring the animals in a new adventure. The illustrations are lush and really convey the emotions and animals well throughout with plenty of color and details. Cat displays great forgiveness and perseverance in maintaining good spirits and helping Rat when Rat falls, despite what Rat did during the race. The other animals' personalities are described as well, describing some of the features readers may already be familiar with. The font throughout is easy to read, and the length will work best for older picture book readers.

What left me wanting more: This is a story without much of a lesson, as Rat seems to still be manipulative and insincere. The plot was also a bit confusing along the way as the path to Cat is complex, and the synopsis is what spells out some of the context (such as about Rat's apology seeming insincere). The reasons that every year is Year of the Cat is also unclear, and children will likely have some questions to understand this more.

Final verdict: YEAR OF THE CAT is an intriguing picture book extension of the legend of the Chinese zodiac that will work best for elementary school aged picture book readers.