Crab Cat

Copycats

by Nicola Bayley

A cat imagines what it would be like to be a crab living by a pool at the seashore.

Genres: Cats, Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction

20 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Nicola Bayley is one of England's bestloved artists. She has illustrated many acclaimed picture books for children, including Katje, The Windmill Cat, by Gretchen Woelfle, which was short-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal. She lives in London.

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I once owned a cat...wait, let me restart. Once, a cat who owned me, would accompany me to Venice beach at night, when everyone else was asleep. We would watch high tide and the many fish who would toss about after being thrown up on the sands. There were crabs too, walking sideways and giving us the eye. The aforementioned cat would carefully follow the crabs, always careful to stay out of harm's way.

Upon seeing this book, I thought about my beach companion and it brought back nice memories. This is another volume in the COPYCATS series of gorgeously illuminated daydreaming kitties (Parrot Cat, Elephant Cat, Spider Cat, Polar Bear Cat (Copycats).

Book Season = Year Round

[Peacegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom unearthed a couple beloved books of my childhood. What a joy to see CRAB CAT again! The text of this series is very simple. In it, a cat imagines being another sort of animal--until the great outdoors gets a little too wild, that is, then she transforms back into the cozy, pampered lapcat life. The illustrations are what truly shine in this series, they are sure to charm any cat lover. The image of the cat reaching out to pinch toes at the beach was probably the most memorable one for me in this book.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read Crab Cat in concert with Elephant Cat, Spider Cat, Parrot Cat, and Polar Bear Cat, all by Nicola Bayley.

The kids and I enjoyed these short little stories told from a cat's point of view. The pictures were beautiful, and we appreciated the pictures of some of the cat's funny antics in these books. These would be a really nice bedtime story choice for young kids who like cats, or as a gift for a cat loving friend. Thanks to my friend Pam for letting the kids and I borrow her copies of these books!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the first books I learned to read (or memorised?) all by myself. Great for little kiddies.

[Austen to Zafón · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Nicola Bayley's cat drawings. So detailed and expressive.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to be a crab too✋️