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Roger Caras spoke truly when he said that a pet is not a person’s whole life, but that they make a life whole. With their unconditional love and undivided attention for their owner(s), it is no surprise that pets are viewed as part of a family. So when they go missing, it can instill anxiety akin to losing a child. In this tale, a young boy named Alexander becomes anxious and starts to panic when his cat goes missing. The story focuses on his search for his beloved kitty.
The author’s book is an unconventional children’s tale of loss. Instead of telling a story centered around a child coping with emotions of panic, anxiety, and worry when a beloved pet goes missing, Warner chooses to shift the narrative so that it is focused on curiosity, imagination, and wonder (perhaps as a positive outlet for a potentially traumatic experience for children). As the search for the missing cat unfolds throughout the story, the young boy begins to wonder what adventures his cat has embarked on: was he still in the United States . . . or even the galaxy? This thought progression is expressed nicely through simple yet artful pictures, a fun font, and colorful, eye-popping dialogue boxes and backgrounds.
At first, the story may prove difficult for some readers to understand the context due to the sparsity of words. However, the book’s ideal audience consists of children younger than seven years old, so the focus on the meaning is truly through the pictures and the telling of the story from an adult. This poignant story will capture the hearts of parents who are also pet owners and who want their young children to understand how to rationalize the experience of losing a pet.