Mildred the Gallery Cat

PreS-Gr 2–The laziest cat in the world sleeps the day away at the Tate Modern, where everyone else rushes through the day. At closing time, the workers in the shop tidy up, the decorators add one last drop of touch-up paint, the cleaners make sure the place is spotless, and everyone leaves. Mildred, however, is just getting started. She loves wandering around, wondering if she doesn’t have some talent to create art. A mouse distracts her, and in the chase, Mildred creates a disaster in her wake. The next morning, a willing public declares this new eccentric sculpture a work of brilliance. Mildred is asleep. The romp through the sleeping museum is a plot that never grows old, and Ganz is wonderful at evoking art pieces that look familiar enough to send educators into the archives and pique the interest of young readers. This could prep classes for field trips or art history; perhaps it’s just a story about a cat being a cat. There is a photo of the real Mildred, who once was a resident at the Tate, snoozing.