Have you ever noticed that no holidays have cats as their mascots? The silent cat in Here Comes the Easter Cat has, and he's a bit put off by it. Communicating with a patient narrator through signage, facial expressions, and body language, the cat reveals that he plans to take over the Easter Bunny's job, roaring along on his motorcycle and delivering those Easter eggs himself (the narrator helpfully suggests that delivering hairballs might not be the way to go). Until, that is, he finds out that the exhausting egg-delivery schedule doesn't include time for his customary seven naps. Nevertheless, he manages to find a way to lend a helping hand and contribute to the holiday after all. Underwood (The Quiet Book, 2010) offers a hilarious give-and-take between feline and narrator that will work across a wide age range, as she imbues the cat with a prickly but eager personality, without having him utter a word. Rueda gets the joke, enhancing the fun with soft, warm tones; a great performance from the cat; and plenty of clever sight gags.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2014 Booklist

In this witty offering, Cat is unhappy about the Easter Bunny's arrival. The text addresses jealous Cat directly, and he responds using placards, humorous expressions, and body language. Rueda expertly uses white space and page turns to focus attention on Cat and the repartee. Underwood's knowledgeable authorial voice and Rueda's loosely sketched, textured ink and colored-pencil illustrations make this an entertaining tale. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS-Gr 2-What happens when a lazy cat decides he wants to take over Easter? Readers meet Cat, who conveys his thoughts with pictures and facial expressions. As the story progresses, Cat becomes more and more convinced he is the perfect candidate to replace the Easter Bunny. Will he get his way? The narrator, who kids will enjoy pretending to be, explains Cat's actions and asks all the right questions. "Clothes? No, you don't need special clothes. Well...the Easter Bunny does wear a very nice vest. Wow. That's very...sparkly." This is a book that will be enjoyed in storytimes as well as one-on-one. The wonderful ink-and-color pencil illustrations depict the characters' expressions perfectly, enabling children to decipher what is happening even without the narrative. The combination of witty text, plentiful white space, and brilliant images make this a truly winning book, especially for libraries looking to expand their Easter collections.-Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The sniper slaying of a LAPD narcotics detective is the work of any one of four middle-class suburbanites about to depart on a hunting trip after Vegas beaver and mountain deer. Could it be Wes Tarnak, an architectural draftsman who can't cut it with his wife since he began wearing her panties; Leo Fritz, an ad agency bigwig who's ulcer-ridden because he's actually a ""creative parasite""; Milt Newman, a twofisted pharmaceuticals salesman whose initials spell MAN except to wife Gloria; or Lamar York, an insecure insurance underwriter who longs to writhe under Gloria? It doesn't really matter for this is a distasteful manhunt vaguely reminiscent of Deliverance, but providing none. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Underwood and Rueda deliver an Easter book with real personality in this story of a cat who's got his eye on the Easter Bunny's job. Underwood (The Quiet Book) structures the story as a conversation between Cat and a witty unseen narrator; Cat never speaks, but instead communicates his responses his facial expressions, body language, and the occasional placard. Rueda (Is It Big Or Is It Little?) does a marvelous job of capturing Cat's rapidly changing emotions, from his pride at picking the perfect vehicle to deliver Easter gifts (a massive red motorcycle, naturally) to his horror at realizing that an Easter Cat's busy schedule would mean no time for naps. It's a highly appealing blend of slightly edgy humor and underlying sweetness, and the ending suggests that Santa better watch his back. Ages 3-5. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.