This slyly funny epistolary story begins, ?Dear Grandmother, how are you? I am fine.? Mia, the letter writer, goes on to describe the curious behavior of her cat, Stripe, leading up to the birth of ?five little Stripes.? Wigersma convincingly relates the blunt, minimalist voice of a child correspondent who reports on Stripe?s conduct (?Yesterday, Stripe was meowing a lot?) and plays up her own role as empathic owner (she makes Stripe a ?special box? for the delivery). But readers will quickly catch on that Mia is a classic unreliable narrator. As Talsma?s graceful ink-and-watercolor pictures show, there?s another major development unfolding in the household that the heroine fails to mention: Mia?s mother is getting ready for a birth of her own. The strongly horizontal, single-plane illustrations build momentum for the two births (both of which occur at home), while also visually demonstrating Mia?s unspoken yearnings to be needed and noticed. Talsma creates subtle parallels between pregnant cat and pregnant woman (the tummy support-wrap worn by Mia?s mother, for instance, echoes the markings on the cat). At the same time, the colorfully upbeat compositions emotionally anchor the story, reassuring readers that Mia?s own gestation?one of the heart?will come out all right. ?By the way,? the girl closes her letter as she confidently cuddles an infant in her lap, ?I also have a new baby brother. Love and kisses, Mia.? Ages 2-8. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

In a letter to Grandma, Mia tells about her cat, Stripe, who had a big belly, was eating differently, behaving strangely, and soon gave birth to ""five little Stripes."" The art reveals that Mia's mom has a big belly of her own, and as Stripe's little ones come, so does Mia's new brother. Spare, focused illustrations depict the parallel story lines despite Mia's singular focus on her cat. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 1-Mia writes a letter to her grandmother describing recent changes in the family. She focuses on her cat, whose bulging belly and changes in temperament are most obvious. The child details the preparations for and the birth of Stripe's five kittens and ends the note by saying, "By the way, I also have a new baby brother." The unstated story is told through the illustrations. Readers see Mia's pregnant mother in the background as she goes around the house preparing for the arrival of the baby. The text is spare and the subtle pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations tell most of the story. A clever, sweet book to recommend to families with a new sibling on the way.-Linda Zeilstra Sawyer, Skokie Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.