Another

PreS-Gr 2-Both beautiful and fanciful, this wordless picture book recounts the dream journey of a little girl and her cat. As she slumbers, a portal of light appears in her bedroom, and an identical black cat-with a blue rather than red collar-appears. The visitor pounces on a red toy mouse, which he snatches as he runs back from whence he came. The girl's cat follows him with his owner, now wide awake, close behind. They encounter an undulating staircase, a roomful of colorful balls, and a bright, stripy treadmill, in a world with children of all backgrounds playing together. Hobby horses, hula hoops, sidewalk drawings, jump ropes, bubbles, and books occupy the happy youngsters. Here the girl meets her alternate self in an almost identical nightshirt-sporting a blue, rather than red planet. The other child pets her cat and retrieves the coveted red mouse, tossing it to its rightful owners. They say goodbye and return through their respective portals, back to their own worlds. The girl sleeps again; the cat rests on the bed with his toy. All is as it was...or is it? Was that blue mouse on the floor always there? Vibrant shapes reminiscent of Paul Klee or Piet Mondrian fill the pages. In the bedroom world, the background is black, while the dream world is set against stark white. The endpapers are painted a deep blue with planets, stars, and moons. VERDICT A work of art and celebration of childhood for all libraries.-Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY

Starred review from January 15, 2019
A young child discovers a portal to a whole other plane of perspective in Robinson's latest.In the dark of night, a portal opens in a small girl's bedroom, the light attracting her cat. When the curious feline crawls through to chase another cat that looks just like it (but with a different color collar), the little girl cannot help but follow as well. Through the portal, the world goes topsy-turvy--up is down, right is left, and color and shape capriciously collide as the ever smiling girl and her cat move from plane to plane. The duo eventually happens upon other children, all playing with alternate versions of themselves, and after a few page turns, our protagonist--a girl of color with black, beaded braids--spots her alternate self as well. The pair share a few meaningful moments, exchanging smiles and cat toys, until eventually each returns to her bed with the small promise of further adventures to come. The simple geometry of Robinson's work comes alive in this expanse of wordless narrative. A fearless use of white space and an utter disregard of conventions of direction encourage readers to engage with the physical book as the story unfolds, touching and turning it as they literally take the narrative into their hands.A bright, open primer for Escher. (Picture book. 2-5)

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January 1, 2019
Preschool-G A small black cat wearing a red collar and an African American girl with colorful baubles in her hair take a peek into another dimension. The cat first notices a white oval that suddenly appears in the child's bedroom as she sleeps. In that oval is an image of an identical black cat wearing a blue collar that enters the girl's room and snaps up a toy mouse lying on the bedroom rug. The child wakes in time to see her pet follow its almost duplicate into the oval, and she, in turn, follows and immediately falls into a black hole, emerging in a topsy-turvy world where things are similar, but not exactly the same, as in her world. The brightly colored illustrations pop against a pure white background. Children, some upright and some upside down, are shown in a variety of clothing and skin colors, partaking in various activities. Is this a parallel universe, or is it all a dream? Readers will decide, and a little blue mouse may help with the final decision.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)