An only child, Molly is often lonely. Her parents are typically busy, so Molly spends a lot of time pretending. Sometimes she imagines that she has a kitten because Molly really adores cats and knows many interesting things about them. One day, Molly finds a real kitten in the barn and names it Munchkin. Molly is certain her father will let her keep it to be her friend and companion. However, he says no to keeping the cat. Molly decides that she will hide the kitten in her room until her father changes his mind. When Munchkin is exploring the house one day, she wanders into Daddy’s room. When he comes in and finds the cat sleeping on his sweater after having messed with its sleeves, he declares that the cat must be gone in the morning. That night, though, while the family sleeps, Munchkin enters the kitchen and finds the toaster on fire. Frightened, she bolts upstairs and decides to wake up Molly’s father. He wakes up and smells the smoke, and the family gets out of the house and contacts the fire department. The fire is quickly put out. The next day, appreciative of Munchkin’s actions, the father decides the cat can stay.

Barstack’s offering is a picture book illustrated by Mar Fandos. The book falls in with the long line of stories about kids and their pets and kids who want pets. As Barstack’s tale follows a child wishing for a pet as a companion, it may remind some readers of Me Want Pet by Tammi Sauer. Both children desperately want a pet to care for and be their playmate. Barstack writes her book in rhyming verse, and there is a bit of a parallel in that to the rhyme and rhythm often found in the much-loved Pete the Cat series by James Dean. These authors use rhyme and a simple-to-follow beat to help children better remember the words and anticipate what will happen next in the story. In addition, Molly’s desire for a pet will likely remind readers of a particular pigeon who really wants a puppy. That classic title, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems, also demonstrates a character’s desire for a pet. In essence, the author is joining good company with this work.

Barstack’s writing is easy to read, and children will have no difficulty following along. The story is simple to grasp and is about the length of other books in the genre. The illustrations do a great job of portraying the story’s action as it progresses. Considering how common it is for children to desire a pet, especially an adorable kitten, the book has broad appeal in its targeted age group. Undoubtedly, many children will relate to the book and enjoy Molly’s story and Munchkin’s heroism. The very real danger posed by an appliance catching on fire and possibly threatening not only one’s home and property but also one’s loved ones may be too much to take for some children. However, this is overall a cute story that plays it safe and will likely be an easy title to read for story time or before bed.

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