Author and Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel
Published: 2016
This book captivated me from the moment I picked it up. I believe it’s one of those rare books that can resonate with people of all ages.
The Wall Street Journal calls this book “The single best children’s book of the past 20 years.” I haven’t read them all, but I suspect they may be right. Like all great children’s books, this one has a sweet cadence to it. The prose reveals itself like a song, with a chorus and multiple verses. The artwork throughout the book is simply enchanting. The rich colors and imaginative portrayals of the animals and their expressions tell you so much more about the story than the words can say.
The concept is brilliant… A cat walks along, doing her own thing and just being herself. As she travels through her life and meets other animals, they each have their own way of seeing her. They each have their own version of what she looks like. A big part of the charm of this book is the illustrator’s portrayal of how each animal sees her. But even though all the other animals see her in their own way, she herself is always the same. She doesn’t have any concern about how others see her because the only thing that matters is how she sees herself. This book is simply a masterpiece at approaching this very deep topic in a way that completely delights us and also promotes further conversation about it.
Brendan Wenzel won a well-deserved Caldecott Honor for this book in 2016.
The book is recommended for children ages 2 to 5 years old, which sounds about right to me. Having just discovered it myself, I can’t wait for the opportunity to read it with children.
Author and Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel
Published: 2016
This book captivated me from the moment I picked it up. I believe it’s one of those rare books that can resonate with people of all ages.
The Wall Street Journal calls this book “The single best children’s book of the past 20 years.” I haven’t read them all, but I suspect they may be right. Like all great children’s books, this one has a sweet cadence to it. The prose reveals itself like a song, with a chorus and multiple verses. The artwork throughout the book is simply enchanting. The rich colors and imaginative portrayals of the animals and their expressions tell you so much more about the story than the words can say.
The concept is brilliant… A cat walks along, doing her own thing and just being herself. As she travels through her life and meets other animals, they each have their own way of seeing her. They each have their own version of what she looks like. A big part of the charm of this book is the illustrator’s portrayal of how each animal sees her. But even though all the other animals see her in their own way, she herself is always the same. She doesn’t have any concern about how others see her because the only thing that matters is how she sees herself. This book is simply a masterpiece at approaching this very deep topic in a way that completely delights us and also promotes further conversation about it.
Brendan Wenzel won a well-deserved Caldecott Honor for this book in 2016.
The book is recommended for children ages 2 to 5 years old, which sounds about right to me. Having just discovered it myself, I can’t wait for the opportunity to read it with children.
