Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey

The hardboiled detective spoof is nothing new to picture books, but "Czar of Noir" Muller and Schmidt, both making children's book debuts, accomplish something more with this noir-style send-up licensed with Turner Classic Movies: nurturing an appreciation for one of cinema's greatest genres. In a plot that winks at The Maltese Falcon, a Sam Spade-inspired cat--Kitty Feral--overhears some kids discussing how the Marshmallow Monkey they pooled their loot to order never arrived. Sure that its canine partner's disappearance is somehow connected, Kitty heads into the city's dark, deserted streets to interview a rogue's gallery of anthropomorphized informants and thieves, including Casper Nighthawk, an owl who's a dead ringer for Sydney Greenstreet's Kasper Gutman. If the narrative arc remains somewhat flat, the creators are clearly dedicated to checking off key noir tropes (femme fatale excepted). But clipped, rhythmic text hits the mark ("In this dodge, it pays to be light on your paws"), and largely monochromatic textured art by Burdett (Dragons Make Great Friends) abounds with Dutch angles and single-bulb lighting. An accessible afterword provides more background on noir's origins. Ages 4 and up. (Sept.)