This is the time of year when one is bombarded with emails about new books just out or coming out soon. Most of the time, I’m not really interested in them. Not to say they are not good, or even interesting sounding, just I have to pick what I spend time with. I find reading picture books is a way to spend time with books. You don’t have to spend a lot of time with them, but you do get the rush of having read something and having accomplished finishing a book.
Now, The Skeleton and the Cat by Brandon James Scott, (read via an email to an online link, was out July 2026), was one of those emails. I was, “eh not now” as the cover of the book had a smidgen of “offness” to it. I was not being grabbed. Later, I went back to it and there was a little niggling in the back of my mind, “Something might not be grabbing you, but something tells me this is something you must experience.” 
This is not your usual picture book and in fact I am not a hundred percent sure it is a “true” picture book as it included chapters. But the fact is there is a skeleton who likes to be alone, a cat that wants a friend and multiple stories about how the two have events together. You can’t say adventures such as gardening and reading a book are not necessarily adventures, but they are events. The images are popping. They have good colors, details and a setup that does keep you reading.. Now, I was not WOWed, but I got a few smiles and giggles.
As an introverted person myself, I sometimes wonder where the book that covers the idea of: “It’s okay to be by yourself, you don’t always have to have friends around you.” But that’s for next time, this time is for Scott’s book and how it is just an enjoyable romp.
