"Something's fishy around here," mutters orange and yellow cat, Bandit, standing amid stacks of boxes and watching "his" couch being carried out of the house by a hairy-legged guy. His person, Michelle, scoops him up—"Squeeze a hairball out of me, why don't you!" he gasps—and puts him in his cat carrier. Are they driving to the vet? Going on vacation? Michelle deposits him in an empty house. "Some vacation," he grumbles. Irked at the unfamiliar smells, he squeezes out the window and trundles across town, dodging traffic, and finds his way home. But, wait! There's a whole new family there, and they're not happy to see him. Lucky for him, Michelle drives up. "We don't live here anymore, Bandit," she says. "Mews to me," he says, but when they get back to the new place, Michelle has set out all his things, and it looks just like home. The cat's-eye view and comic book style of the illustrations—paneled pictures bordered with thin gray rectangles, against a base of cartoon-style tiny Benday Dots, with black and white balloon dialogue—is fresh and appealing. Bandit is a cat with attitude.

When a new child moves in or one is getting ready to move out, this story will provide comfort and humor and, maybe, a smoother transition to an unfamiliar place. Children can draw portraits of their own pets or animals of their choosing, putting words in their mouths with balloon dialogue. On the author's website, www.karenrostoker-gruber.com, see a photo of the real Bandit, and download a template for making Bandit bookmarks.

Themes: CATS. MOVING. HOUSEHOLD.