Wondering where his mother has gone, Little Cat visits various places around town looking for her, all to no avail. From the supermarket to the laundromat, the service station to the library, and finally to the shopping center, he looks everywhere he can think of, but no one can tell him where she is. Returning home discouraged, he finds her waiting, and wondering where he has been...

I cannot say, all told, that I found the narrative of Where Did My Mother Go? that engaging, although I could certainly imagine young children enjoying its repetitive ask-and-answer story structure. I picked it up largely because I am currently on a reading project involving illustrator Chris Conover, and there I was not disappointed. The artwork here is lovely, and the many animal characters captured in a charming way, with an odd mix of anthropomorphic and more naturalistic elements. The animals lives mostly like humans - wearing clothes, living in homes, etc. - but then at the end, the mother cat holds her son in her lap and begins licking him. Much of the enjoyment of the artwork, and of the book, lies in the fact that the mother cat is in many of the illustrations, although Little Cat doesn't see her. Young children will appreciate being "in the know," and I can see this title working well as part of a one-on-one story-time. Recommended to fans of the artist, and to readers looking for picture-books where the artwork provides an additional layer of story. ( )