and then, and then....

All Things Considered editor and children’s book maven Justine Kenin is VERY excited about They All Saw a Cat – a new picture book that depicts all the many ways various creatures perceive a cat out on a stroll. Here’s her review:

 A great picture book’s magic sneaks up on you. 

It becomes the book you want to read again and again.  The story may seem simple at first pass – it’s for the non-reading set after all – but then you hear it in your head, and see the images in your mind. 

Each picture takes long minutes to absorb, and reveals new details each time you open the book. And a great picture book  –like Brendan Wenzel’s new They All Saw a Cat – reveals a secret about life itself.

Wenzel both wrote and illustrated Cat. His words bring a steady rhythm and repetition so perfect for the picture book reader – the words build, the reader anticipates, the beat is the same as you turn each page. 

The book opens with a picture of a lanky, striped feline headed off for adventure: “The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws …”  

And the great surprise is the “They” of the title. What and who will the cat encounter?  A dog, a mouse, a flea – the cat encounters friends, mortal enemies, and possible meals. But how does each creature see the cat?

My personal favorites are the bee, seeing the cat with all of its eyes.  And the fish, for whom the cat is oh so big and watery.

But I don’t want to give too much away.

Just know that as you read this book your two-year-old will understand that we all see a cat. That each animal sees the cat differently – but it’s still a cat, and our perspective shapes how we it, whether we’re hungry to eat it or view it from high in the sky.

And does that cat see himself?  Yes, and that perspective is also perfect.