In the opening pages of this picture book, a small blond boy explains why his cat Jack was the best cat ever, and then tells how Jack started slowing down as he got old. “Then Jack died. And I miss him.” The family buried Jack in the garden (“I think he would have liked it”) and the boy’s mother tells him they can get another cat. But he doesn’t want another cat, until he meets a kitten named Humphrey. Spitfire Humphrey is nothing like Jack, but “still pretty awesome.” The narrative’s honest, understated, childlike tone, with one or two moments of whimsy, is set against illustrations that also blend blitheness with poignancy. As an aside, the boy’s sister is shown using a wheelchair—something never mentioned in the narrative—in a picture book that offers a comforting, gentle look at the death of a pet. (Ages 3–7)