A Delightful New Book and More Wonderful Cats

There are so many wonderful children's books around, yet it's always a delight to discover a new one! I'm lucky to have come across several really special new books lately, and I hope to share more of them with you another time, but today I'm thinking of one in particular: They All Saw A Cat, by Brendan Wenzel.

In the story a cat walks through the world, and is seen by a child and a variety of animals.  Each one sees it differently, depending upon their perspective and their way of seeing.  What a fun way to introduce the idea of perspective!  You can see and hear the whole book in this short video!

I also found an adorable song version of  this book on YouTube.com, and I can't wait to use it with preschoolers!  This book is destined to be one we'll read to children for years to come.

 Which got me to thinking about other cat books that I love.  No list of cat books would be complete without a mention of Pete the Cat, everyone's favorite blue cat!  If you haven't met Pete yet, stop by your library and check him out.  There's several books about him, and you can't go wrong with any of them!

I've also pulled out some of my personal favorites for this blog post.  Did you ever learn the song Senor Don Gato?  I learned it in Primary School in the 1970s, and had forgotten all about it - until I spotted a book version of it by John Manders several years ago.  Spoiler alert, Don Gato falls from a rooftop and dies, but he is revived by the smell of fish.  I love it, all my students have loved it, and you can find the tune for it easily, but you'll want to consider your audience before sharing this one.

I love the book Grandma's Cat, by Helen Ketteman to introduce children who don't have pets to what it is like to have a cat.  The little girl in the story wants very much to play with Grandma's Cat - so much so that she doesn't pay attention to the cat's body language, and ends up getting scratched.  Grandma helps the child learn how to be gentle and patient, and there's a satisfyingly happy ending. 

For the even younger crowd, I love the interactive Cat, by Matthew Van Fleet.  I first "met" his books when my first born was about a year old, and they are irresistable!  Each page includes textured pieces, but my favorite thing about this moving parts book is that it is designed to be played with by toddlers.  It is STURDY, so small people can push and pull the tabs without destroying the book.

I included the Eric Carle classic, Have you Seen My Cat? because of the lovely illustrations and repetitive text.  Even the youngest children will be able to "read" this book to you, making it a valuable addition to your child's bookshelf.

The last book on my list is done completely in black and white: Kitten's First Full Moon.  Poor little kitten is thirsty, and the moon looks just like a bowl of milk... but how to get to it?  You'll be rooting for this sweet kitten from page one!

Happy reading!
Paula