Lost

by Bob Staake

In this paneled picture book, join a small girl on her hilarious and surprising search for her lost cat--and watch as she helps her neighbors, who have also lost their pets, along the way!Where, oh where is Kitty? She's not upstairs... not in her litter box... not at her food bowl. Hmm...There's only one thing to find this lost cat.As the cat's owner roams town in hopes of finding her pet, she discovers she's not the only one missing their beloved animal. There's also a lost dog...a lost bird...even a lost giraffe!Join the search party in this almost wordless story that celebrates helping our neighbors and gently reminds us that what is lost can always be found.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Cats, Fiction, Juvenile

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2024

About the author

Bob Staake has authored and/or illustrated more than forty-two books, including The Red Lemon, a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year. His work has graced the cover of The New Yorker a dozen times, and his November 17, 2008 Barack Obama victory cover was named Best Magazine Cover of the Year by Time magazine. He lives on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost wordless, really. Reading is not required, which makes it instantly accessible to those who don't yet read, can't read at all, or for those who don't know English.

I like Staake's use of color, and the muppettyness of the people in the book. Nice custom endpapers, but I do wish someone would find a way to protect children's picture books without taping the jacket to the book. Even when, as here, the back endpapers is the same as the front, so you're not missing anything, but you don't know that unless you work at it. There are just too many books with cool stuff going on that is sadly unavailable to library patrons.

Library copy

[DaNae · Rating 3 out of 5]

One more wordless picture book to add to the lost pet oeuvre. Done well, with a fun giraffe twist.

[Tabatha Shipley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I Did Like:
+We love a good wordless story! They allow kids to “make up” a story. This has great illustrations that help guide the story in a way that will spark that creativity.
+Even without words this one manages to capture the concept of helping others in a fun way.

Who Should Read This One:
-Parents of early or pre-readers, this is a fun one for creative storytelling.
-Kinder teachers, this could kick off a lot of cool dialogue writing or picture storytelling lessons!

My Rating: 4 Stars
If you’re looking for a wordless children’s book, this is one I’d highly recommend!

For Full Review: https://alltherightreads.com/2024/11/...

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute. I didn't like the style of artwork at first, but it grew on me, which is good since the entire book is just artwork. I like how only the animals and their owners had color - nothing else did.

But that being said, I felt like the book fell flat. Could have been better without a Giraffe. And finding the lost animals was a little too convenient each time. They just showed up and essentially said 'here I am.'

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little girl loses her cat and puts up fliers everywhere around town. This book was totally wordless (aside from the the word LOST). I didn't love the illustrations. Created with pencils, brushes, crayons, and Photoshop. (Diamond 25-26)

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl can't find her cat anywhere, so she posts lost posters ALL over town. While on her mission she meets others who also lost their pets. A missing bird, a missing dog, and a missing giraffe. Mission completed, she goes to enjoy a hot dog at the park, when what should she find?

This book is entirely wordless except for "Lost" on the flyers the girl posts around town and then "Found" after she meets some formerly lost pets. Staake does an incredibly job of conveying the whole story without any words beyond those two. The illustrations are in panels so it is a kind of graphic novel picture book in Staake's signature style. This is a sweet tale of pets lost and found.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting artwork consisting of blocky panels outlined in black and created with pencils, brushes, crayons, and Adobe Photoshop tell the story of a young girl's efforts to find her lost cat. Most of the images are in grayscale with touches of color on the child's cheeks and in the animals that are lost and found. Because the story is wordless, save for some LOST and FOUND posters that are placed all around town, readers have to look carefully at the images. Interestingly, as she searches for Kitty, who is nowhere to be found, not even in the usual hiding places, she finds three other missing animals--a dog, a bird, and a giraffe--and they lead her to the missing cat. The serendipity and absurdity of it all may amuse young readers as they wonder if Kitty would ever have been found without those other missing animals.

[Roben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uh oh! Kitty is lost. Our young girl makes signs which the postman sees and - oh no! His green bird is lost! The girl continues distributing her never ending stack of signs when she meets a lady whose blue dog is also lost. At the grocery store she meets a man who lost... well, you won't believe what he lost!

Of course, lost things can be found.... but where are all the lost pets?

This book is mostly wordless - which I love. The only words are things like KITTY on the cat's dish. The book is layed out in panels like a graphic novel and has a very interesting color palette.

I am a big fan of wordless books so this was a hit with me. I loved the addition of an out of the ordinary pet.

[Girls Bookish Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOST: A Hilarious and Heartwarming Search for Friends

I absolutely loved this wordless picture book! It tells the story of a little girl who loses her cat and sets out to find it. Along the way, she discovers that her neighbors have also lost their pets, including a dog, a bird, and even a giraffe!

The illustrations are adorable and expressive, and they perfectly capture the emotions of the characters. The story is simple and heartwarming, with a gentle message about helping others and the power of friendship.

I think this book would be a great addition to any child's library. It's a fun and engaging read that will appeal to kids of all ages. I highly recommend it!

[Jessica Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost is a wordless picture book full of heart and humor. Wordless picture books are a lot of fun to read with little kids. It becomes an interactive experience as they work out the dialogue they want to pair with the illustrations. And the kids can change it every time!

Bob Staake’s story is smart and filled with amusing surprises. His use of panels allows for more narrative. And his illustrations are delightful. His use of color and space really makes things pop. This is exactly the type of book my daughter would have loved as a young child. I highly recommend it.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob Staake is back with his unique illustrative style in this wordless picture book called Lost. The book follows the adventures of a young girl to find her lost cat. Along the way she encounters other people who are looking for their lost pets as well. Staake cleverly colors each lost pet differently and they all stand out against his neutral background pages. It is a beautiful book that will engage readers as they follow along to see if the animals get found and back to their owners.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book with no words. A girl loses her cat and goes around town looking for it, finding other who have lost pets too. The black and white background with just color used for the pets, missing flyers and main characters is clever and helps navigate your eye around the page. A fun bedtime read, or one on one read.

[Lauren Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan of the style of art in this books. Also very puzzled by the emotions shown by the main character. At times it seemed to fit what was happening but at other points it completely contrasted. For example as the girl was handing out and posting lost pet posters she had a big smile on her face- she should be terrified and sad about her lost pet.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing wordless picture book that I’m excited to share with my ESL and ELL students. They love using their own words to tell stories. The engaging and lively art is sure to generate discussion and language production.
When a young girl can’t find her kitty, she makes hundreds of posters to put up all over town. Along the way she meets a few other people who have lost their pets too.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn't love wordless picture books? Who doesn't love tales about finding one's lost pets?? This is gonna be a fun one to use! It also really encourages the reader to have a higher opinion of others and maybe help THEM even when it is tough going for us!

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl turns pet detective when her kitty goes missing, and, in the process, manages to find some other missing pets as well. This wordless tale features plenty of Staake's incomparable artwork, and is a real treat for his fans.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young girl searches for her lost cat and encounters other people who have also lost pets.

This is a wordless picture book.

The illustrations were done using pencils, brushes, crayons, and Adobe photoshop 3.0.

[Alysa Fenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with no words! Cute story, not much depth, but I can see where it can be fun for young readers who love books and understand stories but have difficulties with or just don’t know how to read words yet!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art was lovely. The story cute. It will be a good read aloud book for story time.

[Margaret]

My students who adore cats will love this book.

[Y.Poston]

a delightful wordless picture book about lost pets

[Holly Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids will enjoy this adventure of a girl trying to find her lost cat while encountering many people and other lost and found animals along the way.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordless picture book with panels about lost pets. I still never love, love Bob Staake's art style so this isn't a favorite for me. But it is a solid wordless story that could even work in storytime.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful wordless book

[Julie Sigmund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wordless picture book with cute story

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet. Love Staake's whimsical art.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Themes: pets (cats, birds, dogs, giraffe); books without words
Ages: K-2nd grade
Pub year: 2024

[Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrations are great.

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was just pictures - no words - lovely illustrations - but the boys weren't in the mood for no words

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Staake is a genius when it comes to writing wordless picture books. His ability to use art to create narratives full of emotions is one of the best in the space. Lost is no different. In the story you will follow a young girl as she searches for her cat and deals with many different obstacles and feelings along the way. The book is just so smart and just a joy to read!