Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1—Henry the cat is in love with Chloe, the cute little bunny in the back row. On this particular day, his mother makes blueberry muffins for her sons to take for lunch, but Henry saves his for afternoon snack as a special treat. He is the typical little boy who is short on words but big on action. He does a forward roll to impress Chloe, but she bests him with an impressive cartwheel. Later, the teacher reassigns seats and Chloe moves up next to Henry. At snack time, she asks him what he has, and he shows her his big, beautiful blueberry muffin. Henry, who has yet to say a word to his favorite little girl, is surprised but pleased when Chloe thanks him and takes it. It seems that all is fair in love and kindergarten. McCarty"s meticulous ink and watercolor art greatly extends the spare, understated text. The exquisite cream-colored pages bring richness to the presentation that makes readers want to turn each page. This beautiful book should appeal to the little ones who have a special someone in their lives but dare not say a word about it.

This slight story begins with a young cat, Henry, who wakes and dresses, walks to school with his brother and best friend, and then spends the rest of the day obsessing about, and wooing, Chloe, an adorable young rabbit. A textbook Romeo, Henry shows off his athletic ability, chases Chloe around the playground, and sacrifices his eagerly anticipated blueberry muffin snack for his beloved. Many boys will find this as unappealing as kissing (Henry doesn’t manage to seal that deal), although a brief football scene provides some distractions from the romance. In addition, the quiet story may prove too subtle for its intended audience. Still, McCarty’s delicately detailed ink-and-watercolor illustrations of anthropomorphized animals, set on open, creamy pages, are delightful, and children will recognize Henry’s happy surprise when an unexceptional day turns suddenly into an exceptional one. Grades K-2.