Niblet & Ralph

April 1, 2018
Readers meet a duo of feline friends whose mix-up due to an uncanny resemblance leads to the meeting of two new potential human friends.Niblet and Ralph look alike...a lot alike. But only the two friends realize that they live in the same building. When meowing on the phone loses its excitement, the two friends decide simultaneously and independently to visit each other, only to discover that the other isn't there. When Ralph's and Niblet's adorable children, Gemma, a girl with straight black hair and light brown skin, and Dilla, a black boy, return to their respective homes, they notice immediately that something is awry. "Not Niblet" refuses his favorite cheesy chips, and "Fake Ralph" hates his usual hugs. At night Gemma and Dilla imagine all of the horrible fates that could have befallen their beloved pets: Have they been kidnapped by a robot? Have they been eaten by a dog, stolen, or carried off by birds? When Gemma and Dilla decide to scour the neighborhood and post fliers in search of their furry family members, they collide in an uproarious fashion. Using a palette of turquoise, orange, brown, and black and his trademark heavy black line, OHora invests all his characters with plenty of personality, even the two seemingly identical calico cats.OHora has fused bright and engaging artwork highlighting the beauty and diversity of this community apartment building with a truly endearing story that is sure to amuse young readers. (Picture book. 4-8)

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April 23, 2018
Dilla lives with his cat Niblet. Gemma lives with her cat Ralph. The kids don’t know each other, but the cats do; they meow to each other as they sit in their windows. When both apartment doors stand open one day, an unplanned cat exchange ensues. The cats are almost-identical calicos, but Gemma and Dilla quickly spot the interlopers. “This is not Niblet!” Dilla shouts when the cat refuses chips. The girls’ parents pooh-pooh their doubts, so Gemma and Dilla take matters into their own hands, solving the mystery and making friends at the same time. Ohora (The Not So Quiet Library) is in top form, particularly in scenes depicting the two cat owners’ anxious thoughts as they lie sleepless, one on the left-hand page, one on the right, trying to work out what’s happened. Evil crows might have lifted Ralph into the sky! Aliens might have beamed Niblet up to their spaceship! There’s a gratifying whiff of healthy skepticism thrown in as Gemma and Dilla believe the evidence and not their parents. Ages 4–8. Agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary Agency.

May 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-Niblet and Ralph are cat friends that live in the same building, unbeknownst to their owners, Dilla and Gemma. They also happen to look remarkably alike, so when the felines decide to visit one another on the same day, they effectively trade places, again without the children's knowledge. They each decide to wait for the other's return, which is where they are discovered by the unsuspecting boy and girl, both quick to realize that something is amiss. Not Niblet suddenly spurns Gemma's hugs and hates his favorite song, and Fake Ralph ignores his favorite toy and treat. While the adults laugh at the youngsters' suspicions, Gemma and Dilla turn detective to solve the mystery of the fraudulent cats. All's well that ends well when the pets are restored to their respective homes and new friendships bloom. The bold acrylic illustrations adeptly capture city apartment life and feature whimsical details such as the cats chatting on old school land lines or their owners' preposterous imaginings to explain their disappearances. VERDICT Readers will delight in this entertaining story and its happy resolution. A great read-aloud for a broad audience.-Barbara Auerbach, formerly at New York City Public Schools

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2018
Preschool-K There's a bit of a mix-up in Gemma and Dilla's apartment building. These across-the-hall neighbors own mirror-image calicos, Ralph and Niblet, who decide to pay each other a visit one morning. The fly in the cat chow, however, is that both kitties make daring entrances into the other's home?Ralph via clothesline, Niblet with a mad dash across the hall?at the same time, resulting in an inadvertent apartment swap. When the kids get home from school, they can tell something is amiss: Gemma's cat suddenly hates hugs, and Dilla's turns up its nose at its favorite toy. A few experiments later, both children are certain their cat is an impostor. After a worried night, Gemma hits the streets with lost-cat posters, only to run into Dilla doing the same, and the pieces of this feline quandary fall happily in place. OHora's thick-lined, retro illustrations boast a bold palette of saturated teal, orange, persimmon, and gold that make group sharing a breeze. While this is an obvious choice for cat-lovers, all will appreciate the reminder not to underestimate children.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)