What Will Fat Cat Sit On?

Starred review from September 10, 2007
Fat Cat is ready to take a seat, and all the other animals firmly believe it's not a matter of “what” but rather “whom” he will choose for his resting place. Solidarity quickly breaks down—“Sit on the Pig! Sit on the Pig!” shrieks Chicken in full Furies-like mode—until Mouse gingerly broaches an alternative: “Perhaps he could sit on the chair?” Sighs of relief all around—until the animals realize it's Fat Cat's lunchtime. Thomas, in a rollicking and highly promising debut, makes this book a laugh-out-loud pas de deux between Dick-and-Jane-get-stylish typography (which goes by the evocative names of Eatwell Chubby and Chaloops) and the supremely silly visual evocation of high anxiety. Eschewing anything that smacks of a setting (except for the comfy chair to which Fat Cat is directed) she renders her barnyard characters in super-saturated colors and thick, bold outlines. Mood swings generally have a bad name these days, but Thomas makes them a hoot. Ages 3-5.