Trumpet the cat is getting fatter by the day.  She's obsessed with food and costing her new owners a fortune to feed.  No wonder.  She's pregnant!  This simple picture book follows the feline pregnancy, its attendant preparations, and the birth of the kittens, each of whom are given an orchestral name  -  Trombone, Piccolo, Cymbals etc.  Carolyn Polizzotto (Pomegranate Season) and high school student Sarah Spinks keep the text basic and informative, with a cleverly inserted fact sheet about kitten delivery.  The illustrations are by Marion Duke, FACP's book designer, and surely one of the busiest illustrators working in Australia at present  (Duke's last children's book was the excellent historical celebration of The Pipeline That C Y O'Connor Built).  The pictures here play with perspective  -a cat's eye view  -  patchworking fuzzy-looking paintings with photographic details; a mosaic of warm muted colours, always highlighting the strokeable cat with her luminous eyes.  Young children (aged about four to seven) should enjoy this gentle cubage devoted to the ordinary miracle of family pet birthdays.

Rochelle Siemienowicz is the Melboume-based writer, reviewer and creator of the Bella's Books for Kids website

Tags: carolyn polizzotto & sarah spinks