Cat on the Hill

A stray cat's search for warmth, food and friendship as summer gives way to winter in St Ives forms the basis of this latest Foreman picture book. His characteristic watercolour and line illustrations flow over the pages, the hill of the title taking centre stage on most spreads, with the cat wandering in and out. Shades of blue and green evoke the sea and the seasons. St Ives is seen from various viewpoints, the cat gradually going further into town as the pickings diminish. Christmas jollity, seen in lighted windows, Christmas trees and bustling streets, contrasts with the cat's loneliness until the various acquaintances he has unwittingly made on the way come together in an alternative 'stable' scene, ringed with awestruck gulls and rabbits. Foreman's illustrations are stronger than the first person text, but it does read aloud well and provides a warmly satisfying story.