Pet Show! by Ezra Jack Keats

Everyone is talking about the neighborhood pet show, and Archie can't wait. His friends are bringing dogs and birds, and he is going to enter the cat who lives near by. But when it's time to go, the cat is nowhere to be found. The contest is about to start. What can Archie do? 

"The succinct, satisfying story is illustrated with vibrant, brilliantly colored paintings." (Booklist)