Blue-Ribbon Henry

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 2-The star of Hot-Air Henry (1981) and High-Wire Henry (1991, both Morrow) returns. This time, the Siamese cat visits the country fair with his family, where he's intimidated by the large size of the animals competing for prizes. When he tries to save his owner from a furious charging pig, Henry finds to his chagrin that the boy is actually doing the chasing. When bystanders laugh at his "rescue" attempt, the cat runs away in humiliation. His shame is soon forgotten, though, when he finds a lost girl and leads her out of a horse arena and back to her mother. As a result of his bravery (and not his appearance), Henry wins a "Pet of the Show" award. The moral is both clear and satisfactory. The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations portray realistic scenes. Ingraham uses shading and color to highlight the action and the main characters while still depicting the hustle and bustle of a country fair. The charming pictures, fast pace, and clear resolution of the plot make this story a natural read-aloud. Children will enjoy the action and identify with Henry's initial feelings of inadequacy and later pride at his achievements.