Cat Knit by Jacob Grant (review)

When Girl brings Yarn home, Cat is excited to have a new pal: “He’d never had a friend so bright and rolly.” The two of them do everything together—hide in bags, play tic tac toe, sled—until one day Girl takes Yarn and returns him in the form of a sweater. Unhappy with his friend’s new shape (“He was itchy and stuffy and no fun at all”), Cat is horrified when Girl forces the newly knitted abomination on him. After huffily stomping off outside into a winter storm, Cat manages to wriggle himself free of his scratchy vestment, but when he turns to see his old buddy lonely out in the snow, he has a change of heart—and apparel. The pivot from Cat’s stubborn rejection to warm acceptance is a little abrupt, but overall this is a witty, amusing tale with an irrefutably adorable lead. Purple-hued Cat moves engagingly from wide-eyed wonder to arched-back suspicion to full-on Grumpy Cat mode, and his obvious displeasure with the sudden change in dynamics in his relationship with Yarn is humorously conveyed. There’s a gentle geometry to the tidy shapes in a palette of subdued violets, peaches, and creams, and the illustrations have a cozy, inviting vibe. While this is an easy pick for a cat or crafting storytime, the word repetition and short, simple sentences also puts this within the reach of beginning readers. For all audiences, the final scene in which poor Cat has now acquired two new Yarn friends will incite a riot of giggles.