Cat on the Mat

by Brian Wildsmith

The cat sat on the mat. Who else sat on the mat? I bet you don't know that.

Genres: Cats, Childrens

16 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 1982

About the author

Brian Wildsmith (1930-2016) was raised in a small mining village in Yorkshire, England, where, he says, "Everything was grey. There wasn't any colour. It was all up to my imagination. I had to draw in my head..."

He won a scholarship to the Slade School of Fine Art where he studied for three years. For a while he taught music at the Royal Military School of Music, but then gave it up so that he could paint full time.

He has deservedly earned a reputation as one of the greatest living children's illustrators. In 1962, he published his first children's book, ABC, for which he was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal, Britain's equivalent to the Caldecott Medal. He was also a runner up for this medal for The Owl and the Woodpecker.

Wildsmith has said: "I believe that beautiful picture books are vitally important in subconsciously forming a child's visual appreciation, which will bear fruit in later life."

In 1994, the Brian Wildsmith Art Museum was established in Izukogen, a town south of Tokyo, Japan. Almost one and a half million people visited a traveling exhibition of his work in 2005. Eight hundred of his paintings are on loan to the museum.

Brian is married, has four children, and currently lives in the south of France.

— Source

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice quick read with wonderful illustrations. It's a fun and silly story, I remember my children enjoying this one.

Read on open library.

[Gali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Severely underrated, one of the most relatable books I’ve read, both as a cat owner and as an antipathetic human being.
It should be read to every infant.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This elegant puss is none too pleased to share his mat with an odd variety of creatures, and when a cat ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy. A short simple tale, highlighted by Wildsmith's sublime art.

[maple · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 love this book (I know it by heart)

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read for both adults and children. Granted, there isn't much to read but the illustrations prove to be entertaining for all ages. I use this book in a Year 1 class and the children were absolutely enthralled by all the animlas that were joining the cat. The facial expressions used by the cat were also explored to touch on the empathy subject to see if the children could understand what might be going through the cat's mind.

The ending received some laughter by both the teacher and the children and a discussion on sharing and invading people's space followed.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes it's for beginning readers. But it's Wildsmith, so it has a little extra liveliness and humor. I love finding stray treasures in Little Free Libraries.

[Eleanor Berenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to my 1 year old and it was an immediate hit. Simple stories with gorgeous & vibrant illustrations.

[Kristy G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily (age 4) sounded out about half of the words and guessed (correctly) the rest based on illustrations. I wish the rest by the author/illustrator kept going with the short vowel sounds instead of jumping ahead in reading skill level so fast.

[Natalya]

I like the illustrations from this book. It is a simple text. Perfect for beginning readers!

[Meghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simple story that includes rhyming words, simple vocabulary, simple plot, and great illustrations.

[Isoken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A circular tale in which the cat who sat on the mat is joined by a dog, a goat, a cow and even an elephant. Finally the cat has had enough and his unwanted companions flee.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for accompanying a phonics program once 'at' has been introduced.