Sugar Would Not Eat It
Kindergarten-Grade 3—The day after his birthday, Leo finds a stray kitten, takes her home, and names her Sugar. Although he does not know anything about felines, they get on well. But when Leo tries to feed Sugar leftover cake, she won't eat it. He seeks the expertise of various adult friends, who all offer advice that sounds not unlike the threats parents issue to their own fussy eaters. The boy cajoles, bargains, and warns, but the kitten will not eat the cake. It is hard not to question why Leo's mother, who observes her son's efforts from the sidelines, doesn't simply take him to the library for a book about pet care and put an end to the agony. Finally, he stumbles upon the appropriate food for Sugar and is optimistic about their future together. And then he decides to give the kitten a bath. While not exactly offering wisdom, this gently humorous book gives readers an empathetic link between themselves and tiny Sugar. Potter's distinctive illustrations, done in pencil, ink, gouache, gesso, and watercolor, incorporate plenty of color, with the repeated image of the blue-gray kitten dwarfed atop a dramatically red kitchen table establishing the premise of a small being facing down a larger entity.—Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.