  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 05/01/2018 PreS-Gr 2—Niblet and Ralph are cat friends that live in the same building, unbeknownst to their owners, Dilla and Gemma. They also happen to look remarkably alike, so when the felines decide to visit one another on the same day, they effectively trade places, again without the children's knowledge. They each decide to wait for the other's return, which is where they are discovered by the unsuspecting boy and girl, both quick to realize that something is amiss. Not Niblet suddenly spurns Gemma's hugs and hates his favorite song, and Fake Ralph ignores his favorite toy and treat. While the adults laugh at the youngsters' suspicions, Gemma and Dilla turn detective to solve the mystery of the fraudulent cats. All's well that ends well when the pets are restored to their respective homes and new friendships bloom. The bold acrylic illustrations adeptly capture city apartment life and feature whimsical details such as the cats chatting on old school land lines or their owners' preposterous imaginings to explain their disappearances. VERDICT Readers will delight in this entertaining story and its happy resolution. A great read-aloud for a broad audience.—Barbara Auerbach, formerly at New York City Public Schools - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 05/01/2018 There’s a bit of a mix-up in Gemma and Dilla’s apartment building. These across-the-hall neighbors own mirror-image calicos, Ralph and Niblet, who decide to pay each other a visit one morning. The fly in the cat chow, however, is that both kitties make daring entrances into the other’s home—Ralph via clothesline, Niblet with a mad dash across the hall—at the same time, resulting in an inadvertent apartment swap. When the kids get home from school, they can tell something is amiss: Gemma’s cat suddenly hates hugs, and Dilla’s turns up its nose at its favorite toy. A few experiments later, both children are certain their cat is an impostor. After a worried night, Gemma hits the streets with lost-cat posters, only to run into Dilla doing the same, and the pieces of this feline quandary fall happily in place. OHora’s thick-lined, retro illustrations boast a bold palette of saturated teal, orange, persimmon, and gold that make group sharing a breeze. While this is an obvious choice for cat-lovers, all will appreciate the reminder not to underestimate children. - Copyright 2018 Booklist. Loading...
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