Bat, Cat & Rat: Vacation by Ame Dyckman and Mark Teague

 This new series is a mix of folktale tropes and has the classic feel of a Cynthia Rylant story. In their first adventure, we met three friends, Bat, Cat, and Rat and in this adventure the three are planning the perfect vacation.

The three roommates would like to go on a vacation, but they have no money. They all work hard to save up... well, Bat and Cat do. Rat, not so much. When they finally fill their savings jar, it's time to decide where they're going to go. But they all have very different destinations in mind - outer space, a spa, and a buffet! It's Rat who comes to the rescue, resolving their bickering with some clever shopping.

Teague's illustrations capture the classic flavor of the odd couple (or throuple) trope with three furry creatures that are much of a size and retain both their animal features and individual personalities along with a big dose of cartoon humor.

The short sentences, arranged in small clumps on each page, made me think at first this would be more in the easy reader section, but although there's not a significant amount of text, the vocabulary is more complex and the font is smaller than a typical leveled easy reader. The book is categorized by most outlets as a "picture book" but its 9x6 rectangular shape is more typical for an easy reader. So - transitional chapter. I don't know that most people will recognize the folktale aspects, but there are a lot of older tales that have three disparate animals living together. Of course, most of those end with one or more of the animals eaten!

Verdict: Fans of Cynthia Rylant are likely to enjoy this. It has a quiet humor and the comforting feel of an old friend that I associate with classic easy readers. A strong addition if you have fluent beginning readers who like gentle stories.

ISBN: 9781665930444; Published May 2024 by Beach Lane Books; Review copy provided by publisher and donated to the library (first book in the series purchased).