The Cat in the Rhinestone Suit
Cash, son of June Carter and Johnny Cash, taps his country-music roots in this original folktalelike story about Cat, who wears a rhinestone suit while riding his bandicoot through the desert. Twangy patterned rhymes, which beg to be read aloud (or better yet, sung), describe the longtime dispute between Cat and Del Moore the snake and how Cat came to don his sparkling attire as a result of the snake’s thievery. But when Cat, Bandicoot, and sidekicks Mouse and Camel trip over a stump and find themselves dangling from the side of a mesa, it’s Del Moore who lends a tail for the four critters to climb to safety. With the score now settled, Cat and Del Moore become fast friends. Comical mixed-media illustrations emphasize the story’s Wild West zaniness, a letterpress font highlights the rhyme scheme and the feel of yesteryear, and amusing fictional photographs on the endpapers offer more details. A rousing addition to storytimes and folktale studies. Grades K-2. --Angela Leeper