Stretchy McHandsome by Judy Schachner (review)

Schachner, Judy Stretchy McHandsome; written and illus. by Judy Schachner. Dial, 2019 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-8037-4121-8 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-525-55368-7 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R 4-7 yrs

Stretchy is the youngest of the nine cats of the McHandsome clan, who all live together in a cardboard box "with no one in charge." Tired of being at the bottom of every cat pile and eager to get some space from his siblings, Stretchy decides to go on a solo walkabout and, after a series of silly mishaps with confused old ladies and hungry tigers, meets a human girl, Beanie, who is just as strange and wonderful as he is. Schachner has long exhibited a talent for capturing feline personalities in acrylic and gouache, and the McHandsome clan is no exception. Astute viewers may notice key similarities between orange Stretchy and carrot-topped Beanie, both of whom sport wide, heterochromic eyes. Stretchy and his siblings are a wild, ragtag clowder with a knack for causing charming calamity (cat-lamity?). In the end, the McHandsomes are reunited with their errant brother and all find their forever families in Beanie's eclectic mix of eight siblings. Cat lovers of all ages will adore this story of misfit soulmates and finding your own way, and the bouncing rhythm of the rhymed text is sure to make this romp a storytime favorite.