Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese are cats, but that's where the similarity ends. Mac, big and boisterous, likes to play and jump and sing, and, well, have fun. Cheese doesn't. This grumpy cat prefers to just sit quietly next to his pal. But when a gust of wind makes off with Mac's hat, Cheese pounces and bounces and jumps after it, returning it safely to his friend. Written in rhyme by Sarah Weeks, Mac and Cheese is another early reader featuring  a pair of animals who, while very different, are still good friends. Jane Manning, the illustrator, does a outstanding job of bringing the characters and the gritty city setting to life. My one quibble with this book is that Cheese is just a little too grumpy. True, he saves his friend's hat, but up till then, he is so negative that this reader wondered more than once why Mac would bother to be his friend.