Just Like Jasper (Nick Butterworth, Mick Inkpen, 1989)

Logline:

A cat named Jasper takes his birthday money to a toy store and looks at lots of toys.

London:

This cat looks a lot like my aunt and uncle's cat and his name is Jasper, too. He is the softest kitty on earth.

Ben:

This was one of the last books of the bedtime era, purchased just a few years ago by my mother, probably very much in honor of my brother's cat, Jasper, who - inexplicably - looks just like the title character. (Or, I guess, the other way around.)

[12/12/11: "As I bit of clarification, I loved Jasper long before Matt had his Jasper. It was a big book that I used with the last reading series I taught; I loved those two Brits (Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen...only Brits have those names!) and their illustrations. The books are so simple, but the kids really loved Jasper. - Susan Trout"]

What it would be like to be in this book:

If I had birthday money to blow and I was a cat, I'd probably just buy a whole mess of cat treats. (Although, if I were me, Ben, I'd want to look at the toy store's selection of Star Wars figures first.) If London were a cat (Jasper), "I would take all the birthday money and buy a bunch of pet mice. But, if I were me - London - I would probably just go look at all the candy."