Ketzel, the cat who composed

Leslea Newman, illustrated by Amy June Bates
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763665555
RRP: $24.95

Composer Moshe Cotel meets a stray kitten on an afternoon walk through his noisy neighbourhood. There is instant attraction and Ketzel joins Moshe in his jumbled musical apartment. One day Moshe learns about a competition for piano compositions shorter than 60 seconds. He is without inspiration until Ketzel steps from the top of the piano, onto the keys and across to his lap to comfort him. The written text is straightforward with an undertone of Yiddish tradition; while the freshness of the loose watercolour illustrations mirrors the serendipity of the tale.