Reviews: (by author)

Ingram, Bruce. Illustrated by Bruce Ingram. A Night on the Tiles. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1998. 24 pages. $15.00 hardcover. ISBN 0395936551.

A simple tale of a very independent cat - then again, is there any other kind of cat? After his owner Martha is asleep, Lionel the cat takes off across the roofs for the night. His journeys take him to the Cat Academy, where he is learning high fashion, woodworking, and scooter mechanics. A light meal of fish pie is served at three o'clock in the canteen, where "Giovanni, the chef, works wonders." After school, Lionel has a rather busy schedule: whiskers trimmed at the barber, a snack and movie with the charming Audrey, and (the funniest picture) a trip to the dog races. At dawn, Lionel returns home to wake up Martha and wonder, in typically egotistical cat-fashion, whether she has been dreaming about him

Bold colors, imaginative (and very European; watch out for the statue of Babar the Elephant) settings, and more than a touch of wit make this a book that will not cloy for adults reading it to their children.

Recommended reading level: Age 4-7

Reviewed by Jamie Madden

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