Nat the cat takes a nap

Lots of laughs at the expense of a sleepy cat. Poor Nat the Cat wants to take a nap, but the voice of an offstage narrator keeps him from doing so for most of the story. When readers first meet Nat, the cartoon feline is seen standing with his eyes closed below a speech balloon reading "zzzzzz…." Next, the narrator announces, "This is Nat. Nat is a Cat," and one of Nat's closed eyes pops open. When the narrator tells us, "Nat the Cat is taking a nap," Nat retorts, "No, Nat the Cat WAS taking a nap." Background details are kept to a minimum, providing rest for the eye and allowing the images to support textual meaning. Meanwhile, subtle font and wording changes combined with slight adjustments to character expressions and placement result in text that reinforces decoding skills through repetition and making the simple, funny narrative accessible to emerging readers. Humor increases when Pat the Rat shows up--not as prey for Nat to chase but as another sleepy character who wants to take a nap, too--and by book's end, both characters get some needed shut-eye. Don't sleep on this laugh-out-loud title for the newest readers. (Early reader. 5-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.