Title: They All Saw a Cat
Author/Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel
Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2016
Editor: Ginee Seo
Book Type: Fiction
Ages: 3 and up! (all ages should read it)
Themes: Perspective, Subjectivity
Opening Lines:
The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws …
and the child saw A CAT,
and the dog saw A CAT,
and the fox saw A CAT.
Yes, they all saw the cat.
Synopsis (from Amazon’s website):
In this glorious celebration of observation, curiosity, and imagination, Brendan Wenzel shows us the many lives of one cat, and how perspective shapes what we see. When you see a cat,
what do you see?
Activities:
- Common-core aligned teacher’s guide
- Activity guide – drawing, coloring, games
- Make your kids some cat eggs and read this book while they eat! I made these eggs using FUNNY SIDE Up cat egg mold.
Why I Like This Book:
A gorgeous thoughtful book sure to become a modern classic. I love the dichotomy of taking simple picture book text paired with colorful child-appealing art to talk about a big, abstract, philosophical idea. Pure Genius!
The book follows a cat as he walks through the world and the reader gets to see how each of the other animals – a fox, dog, rat, fish – view the cat. What I find amazing about this book is that the big idea is not addressed anywhere in the text. It only exists in the reader’s mind as he/she is reading the text and looking at the pictures. It is something to be realized and felt inside.
A variety of materials were used to make the art: colored pencils, oil pastels, acrylics, watercolor, and more. The author used different styles to help show each animal’s unique perspective of the cat.
This is an important book, one that I hope will find its way onto every bookshelf.
Find They All Saw a Cat at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Goodreads
ISBN-10: 1452150133
ISBN-13: 978-1452150130
This review is part of Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Book series. Visit her site to see the other books recommended.
Disclosure: I received my copy of this book from the publisher. This review nevertheless reflects my own and honest opinion about the book.
Haha, I wrote my review for this yesterday but will schedule it for December. It is one of my favorite picture books of 2016.
I looking forward to enjoying this book! The topic of how one is viewed by others is quite fascinating. I think this will open interesting and fun discussions with children. Thanks for reviewing this book!
What an interesting concept for a book that depends on the readers inner perceptions. This sounds like a must-read.
This book sounds brilliant. I’ve been hearing a lot about it and hope to read it soon. Thanks.
WOW…Darshana…what a beautiful book…so simple…yet so complex…and the illustration/art is amazing! Thank you for a wonderful review. )
Yes like Patricia I thought this an interesting concept for a book. Must see if a local library will be getting it in. Will be great to use in classrooms. Thanks for sharing.
This looks like a fun book to read… simple but layered. On my reading list.
This was a great book. Kids will really like looking at how the cat looks different.
This book is being heralded as a Caldecott winner! Definitely one that an author/illustrator had to do. Can’t imagine selling the text alone.
We should be teaching our kids that we all see things differently and no one is really wrong in that! I love the idea of it! I have my kids reading Cole’s Perfect Puppy, they needed some help with friendships and this one has been great for them, it’s by Frances Crossno, frencescrossno.com.