The Girl With the Cat, written by Beverley Brenna and illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan. Red Deer Press, Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 2020. $19.95 ages 5 and up

 

"In the last room, I see a piece of art just my size. It's a girl in a rocking chair. She's holding a cat and her face is full of secrets. A poster tells me this is a sculpture made of something called bronze. The girl's name is Nina and her cat is Sammy. They are named after the artist's daughter and her cat."

When Caroline and her brother visit the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon for the first time, she is overwhelmed by the high ceilings, the quiet, and the beauty of the art that adorns the walls. It is not until she visits the very last room that she finds a piece of sculpture that speaks to her soul. It is exactly her size. Although a sign asks patrons not to touch, she cannot resist rocking its chair, or patting the cat. Caroline is full of questions she would love to ask Nina. 

As they leave, Caroline tosses a penny in the wishing well, assuming her wish is not likely to come true. She returns to the gallery week after week, telling Nina her secrets and concerns about the family's recent move and the adjustments she is making to living in a new place. When she sees a Moving Soon sign beside Nina and Sammy, she is disheartened. 

Instead of getting angry as she did when the family had to move, she decides to write a note to the gallery's director. She inserts coins that she and her brother have saved to help pay the cost of buying the art from its owner. It's all they have. What happens next is heartwarming, and applauds activism in the young. Back matter provides archival photos and further information about Caroline herself.