My Cat Is a Secret Agent

Mahoney (We Don’t Eat Our Neighbors) incorporates Rotten Ralph-like visual loopiness from the very first spread of this offbeat picture book. Young Samantha, the story’s narrator, seems nonplussed when the stray black cat the family adopts proves no less than a secret agent. Walter, as he’s dubbed, reveals to Samantha his certificate from the Secret Agent Academy for Gifted Felines, and his code name: Agent Kitty Pants. Walter demonstrates his espionage skills by rescuing the family from various threats, including mice invading Dad’s train set. (The kitty expels the rodents by encasing them in soap bubbles and floating them out the window.) Despite Samantha’s unshakable belief in the cat’s prowess, Mom and Dad remain skeptical, suggesting that if Walter is so great, he might order a pizza with extra pepperoni. The parental doubts persist until Walter heroically prevents Samantha from a taking nasty tree fall. Mahoney balances absurdity with heart: from deadpan narration to thin-lined, retro-inflected illustrations, every element serves the delightfully skewed logic of the family’s world. Human characters are portrayed with pink skin. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)