Clever Cat

Book excerpt: Peter Collington, recognized master of wordless picture books, proves in this funny feline fantasy that he is just as entertaining with words and pictures. Tibs, the orange tabby hero of "Clever Cat, knows that being the cat of a busy working family means patiently waiting around a lot--to be let out, to be let in, to be fed. So one day Tibs takes matters into his own paws. To the amazement of his family, he opens up a can of cat food and serves himself. Soon he's a cat about town, with a set of house keys to come and go as he pleases and the use of Mrs. Ford's bank card to buy his own food--and a few other things that tickle his fancy. He regards the other kitties in the neighborhood, snoozing in the sun all day, and thinks, "What a bore! But when Mrs. Ford's monthly bank statement arrives, suddenly this clever cat must earn his keep, and Tibs begins to wonder if he's too smart for his own good.