Published: 30th August 2016
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel
Pages: 44
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars
The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws . . .
In this celebration of observation, curiosity, and imagination, Brendan Wenzel shows us the many views of one cat, and how perspective shapes what we see. When you see a cat, what do you see?
I was pleasantly surprised by this story. The narrative is simple as it describes the cat walking through the world and telling readers who saw the cat, not much more than that. The cleverness is in the illustrations because they show not only that the creatures saw the cat, but what the cat looked like to them when they saw it.
Wenzel’s drawings show how the cat changes depending on the perspective of whoever is looking be it worm, bee, or child. It is incredibly clever and while the story is simple and basic, the illustrations add another level. In an unspoken way it teaches kids that animals see differently to us, and perspective changes depending on the eyes, the vantage point, and the intent.
This is a different type of story as there isn’t so much a story than an exploration of perspective. It’s a good teaching tool about how animals see the world and the journeys of a cat.
You can purchase They All Saw A Cat via the following
QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository
Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson
Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible
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