Cat out of water

The Cat in the Hat comes back yet again--with a new author and in graphic novel format. The cartoon art is done in a different, less finished style, but the Cat beneath the tottery striped chapeau will be instantly recognizable (if younger-looking). Two children are at home alone when the frenetic feline slips indoors, over the strenuous objections of the kids' pet fish. The Cat unleashes Thing 1 and Thing 2, who turn on all the taps. Once the house fills with water, the Cat creates soapy chaos until the house is on the verge of exploding. He then brings in a Super Dooper Bubble Scooper to vacuum up the foam while the water conveniently vanishes. Order magically restored, the Cat leaps back out the window. Baltazar writes in prose rather than verse--clunky prose at that ("Having fun, Fish? It still counts. Even on accident"). With no mention of a parent, this narrative lacks the tension of the original books, in which children and fish alike worry that Mother will come home at any moment to discover the Cat's shenanigans. Though the story is billed as new, the author/illustrator matches the earlier titles beat for beat; little sets this tale apart. Readers who dote on the classic Cat won't find much reason to return. An overcautious, underwritten spinoff. (instructions on drawing the characters) (Graphic fiction. 7-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.