Tiptop Cat by C. Roger Mader

When the cat comes to his new home, he sets out to explore.  He looks around discovers that he can get outside to the balcony.  And from there, he can head up and up to the rooftop where he finds a favorite spot on the top of a chimney.  Then one morning as he is dozing on the balcony, a pigeon comes and lands on the railing.  The cat turns into a hunter and starts stalking the bird, finally pouncing on it.  But birds can fly, and cats cannot.  So the cat fell, down, down, down.  Falling right through an awning and into the arms of a man.  No bones were broken, but the cat lost any desire to head outside.  He hid in baskets, under rugs and behind curtains.  But then, a crow came to the balcony and strutted up and down and once again the cat became interested in the outdoors and in his favorite high-up place.

Mader captures the essence of a domestic cat on the page.  From the very first image of the cat with birthday ribbons, readers will know that this is an author who understands cats and the way they think.  Mader uses very simple language in the book, letting the images tell much of the story.  In fact, the illustrations are so very strong that the book could easily be wordless.

And the illustrations are stunning.  They are detailed and realistic.  The format switches from full page and double page spreads to panels that move the action forward in a wonderfully energetic way.  As the cat moves to the fateful pounce, the panels show him edging forward, lengthening the time before the moment of movement.  In the same way, the larger pages show the cat’s fall down and down, making it last and last, creating real drama on the way down. 

This dazzlingly illustrated picture book will have cat lovers meowing with joy and even the smallest children leaned forward to see what befalls this fearless feline.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.