Lobel presents 35 rhymes, which, like those in Mother Goose collections, are frequently much more than they seem. Primarily they are bits of word play, funning around with the sounds of language: "Sing a song of succotash"; "George brushed his teeth with pickle paste." It's all cats, solidly anthropomorphic felines mostly dressed to the nines in period costumes and always emoting in ways to extend the meanings of the words. Some scenes are full-page frame settings, others are vignettes and still others are presented as a chronological series of boxed actions.

Youngsters will value most the funny sounding words and the readily accessible pictures of cats play-acting as folks. More mature readers will appreciate the poignancy of the arrival of a friend's letter or the mystery of the lady who "stitched the sun to the highest hill/ to hold the day from ending." There's a fair share of poetry here and pictures to help children laugh comfortably at themselves.