“In a bowl of water brimming / Fishes! / Lots of fishes swimming. / Max’s paws are made for pouncing. / Max’s legs are built for trouncing.” Max the cat is relentless in his determination to catch the fish swimming in their bowl; if only he weren’t distracted by catnip birds and dirty socks and dangling shoelaces and whatever else happens to catch his eye. An energetically fun, rhyming read-aloud is all the more delightful for its paws-on depiction of cat behavior. Colorful but not overly bright mixed-media illustrations against white show Max in blue with black stripes and the fishes, returned to throughout the story, as counterpoint in shades of orange, red, and pink. (Ages 3–6)