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They All Saw a Cat
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Picture Books (2016)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?
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?
44 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2016
255 people are currently reading
10514 people want to read
About the author
Brendan Wenzel
18 books176 followersBrendan Wenzel is an author and illustrator based in upstate New York. His debut picture book, They All Saw a Cat, was a New York Times bestseller and the recipient of a 2017 Caldecott Honor. An ardent conservationist, he is a proud collaborator with many organizations working to ensure the future of wild places and threatened species.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,639 reviews
November 28, 2016
Okay, I don't intend to review all the picture books I'm currently reading to my baby boy but I just had to say something about this one. This is such a simple, beautifully-illustrated idea and yet it contains a lesson that EVERYONE should learn. About cats; about books; about the whole world.
It was actually my boy's Daddy who first read this to him and, I must say, perfectly demonstrated the point of the book in a rather amusing way.
Dad: That book was lame. It was all about a cat.
Mum (me): Actually it's very clever. It's about how the same thing can look very different from other people's perspectives. Rather like how I looked at this book and saw an important message and you looked at this book and saw a lame story about a cat *smug smile*
God, I'm annoying.
But seriously, I loved the subtle way this book shows how perception changes from one individual to the next. It teaches about different perspectives and opinions, as well as teaching empathy - the idea that the world (a cat, a book, etc.) looks very different to someone who isn't you. Because everyone in this book saw a cat, but they did not all see the same thing.
And I think the idea that there isn't just one way of looking at the world, that other people have different and valid perspectives, is something we would all do well to learn. Whatever age we are.
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It was actually my boy's Daddy who first read this to him and, I must say, perfectly demonstrated the point of the book in a rather amusing way.
Dad: That book was lame. It was all about a cat.
Mum (me): Actually it's very clever. It's about how the same thing can look very different from other people's perspectives. Rather like how I looked at this book and saw an important message and you looked at this book and saw a lame story about a cat *smug smile*
God, I'm annoying.
But seriously, I loved the subtle way this book shows how perception changes from one individual to the next. It teaches about different perspectives and opinions, as well as teaching empathy - the idea that the world (a cat, a book, etc.) looks very different to someone who isn't you. Because everyone in this book saw a cat, but they did not all see the same thing.
And I think the idea that there isn't just one way of looking at the world, that other people have different and valid perspectives, is something we would all do well to learn. Whatever age we are.
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August 19, 2018
Delightful! I was not expecting this. As Anton Ego says from Ratatouille:
"Anton Ego: You know what I'm craving? A little perspective. That's it. I'd like some fresh, clear, well seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that?
Mustafa: With what, sir?
Anton Ego: Perspective. Fresh out, I take it?
Mustafa: I am, uh...
Anton Ego: Very well. Since you're all out of perspective and no one else seems to have it in this BLOODY TOWN, I'll make you a deal. You provide the food, I'll provide the perspective, which would go nicely with a bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947."
This book is about perspective. Each animal we encounter gives us perspective on the cat, we even get the cat's perspective. I love the snake perspective and the bat perspective. It is a simple book with repeating chorus.
I was delighted and the kids loved this too. We had to discuss each animal and why they might perceive the cat this way. The bee was also a favorite. Both kids also gave this a 5 star rating. What a great book
"Anton Ego: You know what I'm craving? A little perspective. That's it. I'd like some fresh, clear, well seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that?
Mustafa: With what, sir?
Anton Ego: Perspective. Fresh out, I take it?
Mustafa: I am, uh...
Anton Ego: Very well. Since you're all out of perspective and no one else seems to have it in this BLOODY TOWN, I'll make you a deal. You provide the food, I'll provide the perspective, which would go nicely with a bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947."
This book is about perspective. Each animal we encounter gives us perspective on the cat, we even get the cat's perspective. I love the snake perspective and the bat perspective. It is a simple book with repeating chorus.
I was delighted and the kids loved this too. We had to discuss each animal and why they might perceive the cat this way. The bee was also a favorite. Both kids also gave this a 5 star rating. What a great book
September 21, 2016
It’s funny. Unless you’re a teacher or librarian, a grown adult that does not work or live with children will come into very little contact with picture books. Then, one day, they produce a few kids and BLAMMO! They are shot into a world they haven’t visited since they were young themselves. They grab frantically at the classics, discover that a lot of them don’t work with very very young children (since when did Horton Hatches the Egg have so many words?!?), and then occasionally turn to the experts for help. And why? Parents’ reasons are not united on this front. Some read to their kids to instill a love of reading. Others to build little brains. Others to simply fill the long hours of the day. Occasionally a parent will also use a book to teach some kind of a lesson. If the parent is unlucky they will get stuck with a book sticky with didacticism (an unpleasant book that sucks all the joy out of the reading experience). But if they are lucky (or they are in the hands of a capable professional) they might find just the right book, teaching just the right lesson. Here’s an example: Let’s say you wanted to teach a kid empathy or how our perceptions change depending on our own experiences and who we are. How do you show that in 32 pages? Well, you could pick up some cloying, toxic dribble that overuses words like “hugs” and “friendship”. Nine times out of ten, that’s what’s going to happen. Or, if you are a clever parent, you pick up a book like They All Saw a Cat. It looks at first glance like it’s just about a cat. Delve a little deeper and you’ll find it about science and art and perception and empathy. And it does it all with very simple sentences, repetition, and a lot of white backgrounds. Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.
“The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws . . .” In that walking it is seen. It is seen by a child, a dog, and a fox. It is seen by a fish, a mouse, and a bee. It is seen by a bird, a flea, a snake, a skunk, a worm, and a bat. And what's important is that this “seeing” changes with every creature. For mice and dogs, the cat is perceived through the lens of their own interactions with it. For worms and bats the cat is only visible through the ways in which it moves through space (vibrations through the ground and the ways in which echolocation shape it). By the end we see a hodgepodge cat, a mix of how each animal sees it. Then the cat comes to the water, viewing its own reflection, “and imagine what it saw?”
The book this actually reminded me of the most was that old Rudyard Kipling story “The Cat Who Walked By Himself”. Unlike that tale we never really get this book from the cat’s perspective. Indeed, the cat is often only visible when others see him. The similarity to Kipling comes with the language. That very first sentence, for example: “The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws . . .” And as in the original art for that story, the cat here is often pictured from the back. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not a book written by one person and illustrated by another can ever be as strong as a book that is written and illustrated by the same artist. They All Saw a Cat makes a fairly strong argument that artist who are also authors are the better way to go. Wenzel’s sentences are so perfectly layered here. If anything, they match the personality of a cat. There aren’t many words, true. But the measured tone is at once soothing and scintillating. I liked how the book broke up the animals. The first three are potential predators. The second three are potential prey. The final six are strict observers. It also ends perfectly with the best possible sentence. Not all picture books, no matter how beautiful they look, are capable of sticking their landings. This one does.
In this book the publication page (where they tend to describe the artist’s process) gets a little slaphappy. It reads (and I am quoting this precisely), “The illustrations in this book were rendered in almost everything imaginable, including colored pencil, oil pastels, acrylic paint, watercolor, charcoal, Magic Marker, good old number 2 pencils, and even an iBook.” The other day I was listening to a podcast where one of the speakers speculated that including this kind of information in a book changes the adult reader’s perspective. Would I think less of this book if I found out it was done in digital ink? Possibly, though I should note that I was blown away by the art long before I ever turned to see how it was made. And while digital art is great and has its place, I’d like to see the program that replicates what Wenzel’s done here.
The sheer beauty of the book is what strikes you first when you read it. Consider the two-page spread where on the left-hand side you see the cat through snake vision, and on the right-hand side you see the cat through skunk vision. The snake’s view is a vibrant shock of color, all yellows and reds and blues. The skunk’s in contrast, looks like the soft grainy sepia-tones of an old film. Maybe Casablanca. Put together, side-by-side, the same cat is its own opposite. But if Wenzel were constantly wowing you with eye-popping images that wouldn’t really support the narrative flow. That’s why the pacing of the book is key. Wenzel starts the book out very slowly, with lots of white backgrounds and views akin to what we see as people. The child, dog, and fox all see the cat similarly (though I loved the oversized bell around its neck, indicating the fox and dog’s superior sense of hearing through a visual medium). The fish is the first moment you start to separate from human visuals. The cat’s large, yellow eyes are 80% of the two pages. But it is the mouse’s Basquiat-esque view of the cat that steals the show. The red background, and the cat all teeth and claws, and terrifying eyes is a far cry from the cuddly creature at the start of the story. It’s also the moment when the child readers come to realize that perception is personal.
An interesting criticism of this book is linked precisely to the more science-y aspects of the text. One of the commenters on a blog post I wrote, that included this book, said that, “I desperately wanted some nice science-y back matter to tell us how and why different animals see the cat the way they do. Sure, we can go OH, this animal must be colorblind! This animal ‘sees’ by sonar! But c’mon, throw us an edu-bone here. It felt like such a missed opportunity.” This is an interesting note. We’ve grown used to useful backmatter in this post-Core Curriculum world of ours. Would this book have been stronger if it had contained a science element to it? Yes and no. It would have been a real boon to teachers, you betcha, and probably to perceptive parents who could have turned it into a lesson for young readers. If I had to guess I’d say the reason it wasn’t done may have had something to do with the fact that Wenzel is mixing his fact and fiction here pretty closely. Each animal is “seeing” as it would in the wild, but that is not to say that the art is by any means scientific. The cartoonish quality to the animals (no better exemplified than in the mouse’s bulbous eyes) doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny. I would have very much liked notes on the accuracy of the art, but I can understand the fear of asking the reader to take the work too seriously. I don’t necessarily agree, but I understand it.
How do you discuss this book with kids? Well, you might read it to them, start to finish, and then ask them which picture shows what the cat really looks like. When they select (some will go with the human view but I’ve no doubt a couple will prefer the dog or bird p.o.v.s) you then tell them that actually all the pictures in this book are true. And if you really want to blow their little minds, you tell them that there’s a good chance that the way you see the world isn’t the same way the person next to you does. Everyone, everywhere sees the world different from his or her neighbor. Is it any wonder we have problems? The solution is to try and see things from another person’s view. Now, if the kids think you’re speaking literally or figuratively, it doesn’t really matter. You’ve planted the seed. Or, rather, the book has.
Let us do away with the notion of “cat people” vs. “dog people”. This book is for “people”. End of sentence. And if I got a little crazy in my first paragraph here, filling you in on my view of world peace via picture books, you’ll understand when you read this book. That tired old phrase to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” makes no sense to a kid. But travel a page through another animal’s eyes? There’s never been a better fictional picture book that allows you to do this. If we all see something as simple as a cat this differently, what else might we not see the same? It’s a treat to eye, ear, and mind, but don’t forget. We’re all going to see this book through our own lenses. What will your kids see when they look at it? Only one way to find out.
For ages 4-7
“The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws . . .” In that walking it is seen. It is seen by a child, a dog, and a fox. It is seen by a fish, a mouse, and a bee. It is seen by a bird, a flea, a snake, a skunk, a worm, and a bat. And what's important is that this “seeing” changes with every creature. For mice and dogs, the cat is perceived through the lens of their own interactions with it. For worms and bats the cat is only visible through the ways in which it moves through space (vibrations through the ground and the ways in which echolocation shape it). By the end we see a hodgepodge cat, a mix of how each animal sees it. Then the cat comes to the water, viewing its own reflection, “and imagine what it saw?”
The book this actually reminded me of the most was that old Rudyard Kipling story “The Cat Who Walked By Himself”. Unlike that tale we never really get this book from the cat’s perspective. Indeed, the cat is often only visible when others see him. The similarity to Kipling comes with the language. That very first sentence, for example: “The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws . . .” And as in the original art for that story, the cat here is often pictured from the back. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not a book written by one person and illustrated by another can ever be as strong as a book that is written and illustrated by the same artist. They All Saw a Cat makes a fairly strong argument that artist who are also authors are the better way to go. Wenzel’s sentences are so perfectly layered here. If anything, they match the personality of a cat. There aren’t many words, true. But the measured tone is at once soothing and scintillating. I liked how the book broke up the animals. The first three are potential predators. The second three are potential prey. The final six are strict observers. It also ends perfectly with the best possible sentence. Not all picture books, no matter how beautiful they look, are capable of sticking their landings. This one does.
In this book the publication page (where they tend to describe the artist’s process) gets a little slaphappy. It reads (and I am quoting this precisely), “The illustrations in this book were rendered in almost everything imaginable, including colored pencil, oil pastels, acrylic paint, watercolor, charcoal, Magic Marker, good old number 2 pencils, and even an iBook.” The other day I was listening to a podcast where one of the speakers speculated that including this kind of information in a book changes the adult reader’s perspective. Would I think less of this book if I found out it was done in digital ink? Possibly, though I should note that I was blown away by the art long before I ever turned to see how it was made. And while digital art is great and has its place, I’d like to see the program that replicates what Wenzel’s done here.
The sheer beauty of the book is what strikes you first when you read it. Consider the two-page spread where on the left-hand side you see the cat through snake vision, and on the right-hand side you see the cat through skunk vision. The snake’s view is a vibrant shock of color, all yellows and reds and blues. The skunk’s in contrast, looks like the soft grainy sepia-tones of an old film. Maybe Casablanca. Put together, side-by-side, the same cat is its own opposite. But if Wenzel were constantly wowing you with eye-popping images that wouldn’t really support the narrative flow. That’s why the pacing of the book is key. Wenzel starts the book out very slowly, with lots of white backgrounds and views akin to what we see as people. The child, dog, and fox all see the cat similarly (though I loved the oversized bell around its neck, indicating the fox and dog’s superior sense of hearing through a visual medium). The fish is the first moment you start to separate from human visuals. The cat’s large, yellow eyes are 80% of the two pages. But it is the mouse’s Basquiat-esque view of the cat that steals the show. The red background, and the cat all teeth and claws, and terrifying eyes is a far cry from the cuddly creature at the start of the story. It’s also the moment when the child readers come to realize that perception is personal.
An interesting criticism of this book is linked precisely to the more science-y aspects of the text. One of the commenters on a blog post I wrote, that included this book, said that, “I desperately wanted some nice science-y back matter to tell us how and why different animals see the cat the way they do. Sure, we can go OH, this animal must be colorblind! This animal ‘sees’ by sonar! But c’mon, throw us an edu-bone here. It felt like such a missed opportunity.” This is an interesting note. We’ve grown used to useful backmatter in this post-Core Curriculum world of ours. Would this book have been stronger if it had contained a science element to it? Yes and no. It would have been a real boon to teachers, you betcha, and probably to perceptive parents who could have turned it into a lesson for young readers. If I had to guess I’d say the reason it wasn’t done may have had something to do with the fact that Wenzel is mixing his fact and fiction here pretty closely. Each animal is “seeing” as it would in the wild, but that is not to say that the art is by any means scientific. The cartoonish quality to the animals (no better exemplified than in the mouse’s bulbous eyes) doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny. I would have very much liked notes on the accuracy of the art, but I can understand the fear of asking the reader to take the work too seriously. I don’t necessarily agree, but I understand it.
How do you discuss this book with kids? Well, you might read it to them, start to finish, and then ask them which picture shows what the cat really looks like. When they select (some will go with the human view but I’ve no doubt a couple will prefer the dog or bird p.o.v.s) you then tell them that actually all the pictures in this book are true. And if you really want to blow their little minds, you tell them that there’s a good chance that the way you see the world isn’t the same way the person next to you does. Everyone, everywhere sees the world different from his or her neighbor. Is it any wonder we have problems? The solution is to try and see things from another person’s view. Now, if the kids think you’re speaking literally or figuratively, it doesn’t really matter. You’ve planted the seed. Or, rather, the book has.
Let us do away with the notion of “cat people” vs. “dog people”. This book is for “people”. End of sentence. And if I got a little crazy in my first paragraph here, filling you in on my view of world peace via picture books, you’ll understand when you read this book. That tired old phrase to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” makes no sense to a kid. But travel a page through another animal’s eyes? There’s never been a better fictional picture book that allows you to do this. If we all see something as simple as a cat this differently, what else might we not see the same? It’s a treat to eye, ear, and mind, but don’t forget. We’re all going to see this book through our own lenses. What will your kids see when they look at it? Only one way to find out.
For ages 4-7
September 30, 2016
They All Saw a Cat has stunning illustrations and teaches that our varied perspectives shape the way we see others.
The cat -- with his whiskers, ears, and paws -- goes for a walk and is portrayed as he is seen through the eyes of all who notice him. On one page the cat is a bushy forest of endless fur (as seen by the flea). On another, the cat is two enormous yellow eyes blurred by a wall of water and glass (as seen by the fish). Yet another page shows the cat as a plump treat (a tasty morsel in the eyes of the fox).
A visual delight, They All Saw a Cat delivers an important message in a beautiful way.
The cat -- with his whiskers, ears, and paws -- goes for a walk and is portrayed as he is seen through the eyes of all who notice him. On one page the cat is a bushy forest of endless fur (as seen by the flea). On another, the cat is two enormous yellow eyes blurred by a wall of water and glass (as seen by the fish). Yet another page shows the cat as a plump treat (a tasty morsel in the eyes of the fox).
A visual delight, They All Saw a Cat delivers an important message in a beautiful way.
December 18, 2018
ذكية جدًا، تعرض فكرة المنظور، والنسبية، ببساطة استثنائية. أحبتها ابنتي لدرجة أنها طلبت مني أن نقرأها مرتين قبل النوم هذه الليلة.
November 20, 2016
I love this book. It’s almost perfect.
The pictures are truly wonderful and perfectly illustrate the book’s focus about perception and self-identity too. They’re detailed, fascinating, sometimes humorous, sometimes sweet, and sometimes scary.
The text is interesting and has effective repetition to keep young children engaged while at the same time sufficiently interesting so that older readers will not be bored.
I like the end a lot although that last illustration is might be my least favorite of the bunch.
A wonderful idea, very well done!
The pictures are truly wonderful and perfectly illustrate the book’s focus about perception and self-identity too. They’re detailed, fascinating, sometimes humorous, sometimes sweet, and sometimes scary.
The text is interesting and has effective repetition to keep young children engaged while at the same time sufficiently interesting so that older readers will not be bored.
I like the end a lot although that last illustration is might be my least favorite of the bunch.
A wonderful idea, very well done!
March 7, 2017
They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel is a children's picture book about perception. It's a very simple story about how a variety of living beings all perceive a cat differently. The illustrations are very colorful and detailed.
This is an honor book this year for the 2017 Caldecott Medal. For award news please visit our blog www.twogalsandabook.com
4****
This is an honor book this year for the 2017 Caldecott Medal. For award news please visit our blog www.twogalsandabook.com
4****
November 13, 2021
I absolutely adore both the illustrations and the entire concept of Brendan Wenzel's imaginative and in my opinion oh so true They All Saw a Cat (as everyone, from humans to diverse animal species will by nature see and perceive a given image, in this case a cat, differently, based on both how one's eyes are physically, biologically constructed and how one emotionally and perhaps even philosophically visualises a cat, well actually anything, for that matter). And thus, some of the animals who see the cat will perceive the roaming feline as potential prey (like the fox and perhaps even the dog) while others will perceive the cat as a dangerous predator, even a potential monster (like the depiction of how the mouse sees and considers the cat, a vision straight out of a horror movie, but very apt and in my opinion realistic). Personally though, I most appreciate how the bee is illustrated as seeing the cat (as this demonstrates that insects with their very differently conceptualised and constructed eyes will see a cat, will see anything, as mostly tiny points).
However and actually, EVERY illustration of They All Saw a Cat is indeed simply superb and marvellous, and aside from being a colourful and expressive visual treat, the illustrations as a whole lend themselves very well to enlightening and perhaps even academic discussions on and about both differences of perception (that the latter are often something entirely personal and that everyone therefore also perceives, also sees differently) and that animals (form humans to worms and fleas) all have different types and styles of eyes, of visual organs, with thus different modes and manners of visualisation (biologically and physiologically). And how one is able to see is also, is itself, based on not only perception and biology/physiology but also, naturally, on one's immediate surroundings (for example, when the fish sees the cat, it sees a distortional image due to water, just like the cat later sees itself as similarly and equally distorted when it looks back at its face reflected in a pool of water). Highly recommended and not just for children either!
However and actually, EVERY illustration of They All Saw a Cat is indeed simply superb and marvellous, and aside from being a colourful and expressive visual treat, the illustrations as a whole lend themselves very well to enlightening and perhaps even academic discussions on and about both differences of perception (that the latter are often something entirely personal and that everyone therefore also perceives, also sees differently) and that animals (form humans to worms and fleas) all have different types and styles of eyes, of visual organs, with thus different modes and manners of visualisation (biologically and physiologically). And how one is able to see is also, is itself, based on not only perception and biology/physiology but also, naturally, on one's immediate surroundings (for example, when the fish sees the cat, it sees a distortional image due to water, just like the cat later sees itself as similarly and equally distorted when it looks back at its face reflected in a pool of water). Highly recommended and not just for children either!
March 30, 2019
Very clever children's book with beautiful illustrations.
It explains how different animals while they see the same cat, they can see it differently. The prespective changes every time.
Since it is a book that is written for very young children, most of the phrases and group of words are repeated.
It is an excellent book to read to a toddler in order to learn to connect words with images.
A KG2 kid can read it on his/her own with minimum help.
It explains how different animals while they see the same cat, they can see it differently. The prespective changes every time.
Since it is a book that is written for very young children, most of the phrases and group of words are repeated.
It is an excellent book to read to a toddler in order to learn to connect words with images.
A KG2 kid can read it on his/her own with minimum help.
November 17, 2016
Technically this is a little kid book, but I liked it. There is a cat and as we wander through the pages the cat looks different ways to different things.
Mainly I like cats, I compulsively buy books that have cats - it is my OCD - obsessive cat disorder. But I had a lot of fun with this, and I made other people look at it too, we all had a lot of fun with it, even sober.
The little kid value is that it illustrates how we all see the world a bit differently, and there is nothing wrong with that. This cat is a reminder we should all try to be more tolerant of how people have different frames of reference and maybe reach out a bit, instead of slamming a door when they don't see things the way we do.
Mainly I like cats, I compulsively buy books that have cats - it is my OCD - obsessive cat disorder. But I had a lot of fun with this, and I made other people look at it too, we all had a lot of fun with it, even sober.
The little kid value is that it illustrates how we all see the world a bit differently, and there is nothing wrong with that. This cat is a reminder we should all try to be more tolerant of how people have different frames of reference and maybe reach out a bit, instead of slamming a door when they don't see things the way we do.
March 5, 2017
**Rated by my son**
I agree with my son on the rating. This was a really cute book and we had a blast reading it together. I really like the books that follow a repetitive theme so that even the little ones that can't read yet have no problem following along and even participating in "reading" the book.
I agree with my son on the rating. This was a really cute book and we had a blast reading it together. I really like the books that follow a repetitive theme so that even the little ones that can't read yet have no problem following along and even participating in "reading" the book.
May 31, 2017
A cat takes a journey through a garden, on it's way the cat is viewed by many creatures and we get to see how the cat is seen in their eyes. Lovely bright, colourful illustrations, they remind me in places of Eric Carle.
July 17, 2016
The more I read this book, the more I love it.
This book should have great conversations around perception and point of view.
This book should have great conversations around perception and point of view.
September 10, 2016
This book is perfect to share when talking about point of view!
November 7, 2016
Each year I and my family read and rate all the Goodreads picture book nominees. This one is nominated for 2016. I make a few comments and then add their separate ratings and a comment. There's 15 and this is the seventh being rated. My rating might be somewhat influenced by the family, naturally. Not so much in this one, since I liked it better than they did.
A book mainly about perspective. And cats, and other animals, by a conservationist illustrator, yay! A;ll the animals see the cat in different ways. But also, different art styles are employed to reinforce that point. So it's a difference story.
Tara (my wife): 3 1/2 stars. Liked it. Cats. :)
Harry (11): 3 stars. All the different animals saw the cat in a different way.
Hank (10): 4 1/2 stars. Same as Harry.
Lyra (9): 3 1/2 stars. I like how you can see the cat from everyone's different eyes.
A book mainly about perspective. And cats, and other animals, by a conservationist illustrator, yay! A;ll the animals see the cat in different ways. But also, different art styles are employed to reinforce that point. So it's a difference story.
Tara (my wife): 3 1/2 stars. Liked it. Cats. :)
Harry (11): 3 stars. All the different animals saw the cat in a different way.
Hank (10): 4 1/2 stars. Same as Harry.
Lyra (9): 3 1/2 stars. I like how you can see the cat from everyone's different eyes.
September 2, 2017
What a delightful picture book! In Brendan Wenzel’s Eric Carlesque They All Saw a Cat, each observer — child, dog, terrified mouse, goldfish and more — see a different manifestation of the household pet. Borrow a child if you have to so that you can have an excuse to enjoy this Caldecott Honor book for yourself. (Or just be brave and borrow it with no excuses, as I did.)
September 29, 2017
توی فرهنگ منتظر وایستاده بودم که این رو دیدم و برش داشتم و خوندمش و واقعا لذت بردم. بزرگی کتاب و عکس های رنگیش و سادگیش، همه جذبم کردند.
January 4, 2025
This and Inside Cat drawings are amazing!
January 1, 2017
Wonderful playful look at how perspective changes everything! We get to see a cat from various eyes - as a beloved pet owned by a child, an enormous monster to a mouse, a slinky villainous creature that must be chased to a dog, a pixellated moving mountain of color to a bee.
Charming illustrations bring the reader into each of these viewpoints, and we see the cat with new eyes.
A great book to teach empathy, introduce biology, or to explore art, this is one remarkable book! I would not be surprised to see it win the Caldecott Award.
Highly recommended!
Charming illustrations bring the reader into each of these viewpoints, and we see the cat with new eyes.
A great book to teach empathy, introduce biology, or to explore art, this is one remarkable book! I would not be surprised to see it win the Caldecott Award.
Highly recommended!
April 28, 2021
Luv itttt
I love the rhythm in the words that follows the beat and the tone of the colors, illustrations, patterns....To me, this book is a kid's version of William Blake's, "Tyger, Tyger" starring a cat viewed in the eyes of other animals!! Love this!
Gotta send it to my niece as well as get a copy for myself!!
I love the rhythm in the words that follows the beat and the tone of the colors, illustrations, patterns....To me, this book is a kid's version of William Blake's, "Tyger, Tyger" starring a cat viewed in the eyes of other animals!! Love this!
Gotta send it to my niece as well as get a copy for myself!!
August 2, 2023
قصة قطة تجوب العالم كيف يراها الطفل ، والكلب ، والثعلب ؟ كيف تراها دودة الأرض والسمكة في الحوض ، وكيف تراها القملة التي تعيش في وبرها ؟ القصة ذكية جدًا لأنها تعلم الطفل فكرة
المنظور ، والنسبية ، وتجعلنا نتساءل إن كانت الحقيقة موجودة على الإطلاق ، أم أن العالم هو مجرد وجهات نظر ؟!
من المفيد أن تخرج من جلدك البشري قليلًا وترى العالم من عين وطواط ، أو ثعبان ، أليس كذلك ؟
المنظور ، والنسبية ، وتجعلنا نتساءل إن كانت الحقيقة موجودة على الإطلاق ، أم أن العالم هو مجرد وجهات نظر ؟!
من المفيد أن تخرج من جلدك البشري قليلًا وترى العالم من عين وطواط ، أو ثعبان ، أليس كذلك ؟
July 12, 2016
A must for any teacher attempting to reach perspective, and any parent trying to explain empathy and POV. Clever, wildly unique and such fun to read.
June 26, 2021
Featured in a grandma reads session.
Such a GRAND message!!!! They ALL saw a cat. . . .pages and pages of the cat walking across the picture. . . and the artwork reflects what that "other" in the pages sees. Such an immediate way to learn. How does a human view the cat? How does the flea view the cat? How does a mouse view the cat? How does a dog view the cat? How does a bird from on high view the cat? A fish in bowl (in a lonely house?) A mad man? A lonely kid?
It's all about perspective. Perspective is reality. Not just for us. For the Viewers of cats, and Cats. It rules our interactions every single day. The kids loved this book! Better yet, they "got" the message and we got to talk about the power of metaphors!
Such a GRAND message!!!! They ALL saw a cat. . . .pages and pages of the cat walking across the picture. . . and the artwork reflects what that "other" in the pages sees. Such an immediate way to learn. How does a human view the cat? How does the flea view the cat? How does a mouse view the cat? How does a dog view the cat? How does a bird from on high view the cat? A fish in bowl (in a lonely house?) A mad man? A lonely kid?
It's all about perspective. Perspective is reality. Not just for us. For the Viewers of cats, and Cats. It rules our interactions every single day. The kids loved this book! Better yet, they "got" the message and we got to talk about the power of metaphors!
July 12, 2016
Seeing/hearing this picture book at Nerd Camp, I definitely agree it can be used to lead into topics of perception and perspective. They All Saw a Cat [in very different ways] should get Ss thinking about how they view other people/situations, and how other people view them. Ultimately, I'm liking the idea of incorporating at least one picture book per week for literacy instruction this coming school year. :)
July 1, 2016
Genius book on the subjectivity of perception. Great discussion starter too.
December 19, 2025
۱۰/۱۰. یک کتاب فوقالعاده که یک گربه را با سبیلهایش، گوشهایش، پنجههایش، از چشم سگ و موش و راسو و خفاش و مار و بچه و کرم میشناساند. مفهوم نسبیت، تخیل، تفاوت، همهی اینها با تصاویری زیبا و دلنشین و شیرین.
August 4, 2022
آخ از تصویرگریش... که چقدر قشنگه! داستان باحالی هم داره. ترجمه و متنش برای من جذاب نبود. باید برای بچهها بخونم ببینم واکنش اونها چیه.
March 5, 2019
Here's an example of a book where I love the premise but abhor the execution.
It's not even that I think the illustrations are bad. They're not. It's a really personal, subjective thing. I had visceral reactions of disgust and fear to some of the pictures (and not necessarily the ones from the perspectives you'd expect). I was--and still am--very sensitive to illustrations in books. That's what I tend to remember about them, especially if they've elicited an emotional reaction. It's the reason I don't like David Shannon's David books (that child scares the crap out of me), and why the pictures in Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present still give me the willies. Would I have liked They All Saw a Cat when I was little? I doubt it. It probably would've been banished to the bottom of the stack, ignored until it was time for a return trip to the library.
That said, I think the premise of the book--which is to show how one thing (in this case, the cat) is viewed from lots of different perspectives--is great! It shows kids that there are different perspectives, and the same exact thing might look different to all those viewing it. There could be all kinds of interesting discussions involving this book: "Why do you think the dog sees the cat as a stretched-out monster? Why do you think the skunk sees the cat in black and white?" There's science behind some of the perspectives, and it could be an interesting project to research how some of these different creatures experience vision.
So... would I recommend this one? Yes, but with some words of warning. If your child is really sensitive to pictures, they might find some of the ones in this book disturbing or even scary. That could put them off. Then again, if that sort of thing doesn't bother them, then this would be a great book to teach about the different ways of seeing the world.
It's not even that I think the illustrations are bad. They're not. It's a really personal, subjective thing. I had visceral reactions of disgust and fear to some of the pictures (and not necessarily the ones from the perspectives you'd expect). I was--and still am--very sensitive to illustrations in books. That's what I tend to remember about them, especially if they've elicited an emotional reaction. It's the reason I don't like David Shannon's David books (that child scares the crap out of me), and why the pictures in Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present still give me the willies. Would I have liked They All Saw a Cat when I was little? I doubt it. It probably would've been banished to the bottom of the stack, ignored until it was time for a return trip to the library.
That said, I think the premise of the book--which is to show how one thing (in this case, the cat) is viewed from lots of different perspectives--is great! It shows kids that there are different perspectives, and the same exact thing might look different to all those viewing it. There could be all kinds of interesting discussions involving this book: "Why do you think the dog sees the cat as a stretched-out monster? Why do you think the skunk sees the cat in black and white?" There's science behind some of the perspectives, and it could be an interesting project to research how some of these different creatures experience vision.
So... would I recommend this one? Yes, but with some words of warning. If your child is really sensitive to pictures, they might find some of the ones in this book disturbing or even scary. That could put them off. Then again, if that sort of thing doesn't bother them, then this would be a great book to teach about the different ways of seeing the world.
May 5, 2017
3.5 out of 5
A simple but very clever picturebook on perception and different points of view.
How does the same cat look like to different animals?
A simple but very clever picturebook on perception and different points of view.
How does the same cat look like to different animals?
August 4, 2025
خیلی قشنگ بود. :))
راجعبه نقطهنظر هرکس و تفاوت نگاههاست.
ممنون که خوندید. 💙
۱۳ مرداد ۱۴۰۴
تخت
راجعبه نقطهنظر هرکس و تفاوت نگاههاست.
ممنون که خوندید. 💙
۱۳ مرداد ۱۴۰۴
تخت
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