When a family of four moves into his house in Edinburgh, Mac the cat is pleased. He's been looking for a special friend, and young Catriona, the daughter of the family, seems like she could be it. But then she dresses him up in doll's clothing, and attempts to wheel him around in a pram - something no self-respecting cat can tolerate! Mac makes good his escape, deciding to stay out all night to teach Catriona a lesson, but he soon finds himself cold and hungry, and longing for his new friend. Catriona, for her part, is worried and upset, and sneaks outside to look for Mac...

Published in 2010, this charming picture-book is apparently a follow-up to Margaret Forrester's children's novel, The Cat Who Decided: The Almost True Story of an Edinburgh Cat, which I have not (as yet) read. It is part of Edinburgh-based publisher Floris Books' Picture Kelpies line, intended to promote quality picture-books created by Scottish authors and illustrators, and featuring Scottish themes and settings. I appreciated the lesson of "learning to respect animals" that is incorporated into the story - as Catriona's mother is continually reminding her, Mac is a cat, not a toy - and found both narrative and artwork appealing. I'd love to track down the initial story about Mac, although it doesn't appear to be available through my library here. I'll have to content myself with reading the next picture-book featuring this human-feline duo, Mac's Christmas Star. ( )