When Cats Dream

by Dav Pilkey

When cats dream, they can do anything they want, from combing their hair with the moon to swinging from vines in the jungle

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Fiction, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

David "Dav" Pilkey (b. March 4, 1966), is a popular children's author and artist. Pilkey is best known as the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, Sayuri.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dav Pilkey has answered the age old question of “Why do cats sleep so much?” Its so they can dream. In the everyday world everything is the same. In the dream world they can dance on the head of dogs, fly over the moon and even wear tennis shoes. An interesting book, that can be found in a library. Maybe it’s time for an update.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think my cats dream about fancier stuff than the cats in this book.

I am pretty sure Jupiter dreams that he is a lion in the wilds of Africa and hunts gazelles. In reality he is a big fat couch potato that doesn't chase anything because if he runs his belly will swing forward and smack him in the face if he stops to quickly.

Rocco probably just dreams about jumping on the table, the counter, the shelf, etc. And about climbing in the fake ficus tree in the living room or the fake Christmas tree. Maybe he dreams about being Superman, cat-style.

[Myra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. But the paintings are much better than the actual story.

[Michelle Farella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cats have some trippy dreams!

[Oona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful expressionism paintings...

[Nam · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you put it that way... I guess I understand why cats sleep so much.

[GreenGray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I told my friend Dav Pilkey is a crazy guy, but I like it...

[Alyssa]

Strange book

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Elala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for younger kids!

[EJ Manning · Rating 1 out of 5]

it's just people going meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooo[oooooooooooooooooooo[oow

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This magical story is about the colourful imagined things cats might dream when they sleep. When they are awake things are dull and always the same.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a Captain Underpants fan, you've heard of Dav Pilkey. If you're not and your kids aren't either, you probably haven't. Besides writing the Captain Understands series, he also has some stand alone picture books for children. The one Harriet chose was When Cats Dream.

The book looks at the "real lives" of cats vs. their "dream lives." The dream lives are done in bright colors that mimic famous paintings or periods of art. They are inviting to look at. The artwork was the definitely the highlight of the book for Harriet and me.

The text, written as a rhapsody has a difficult meter for reading aloud. I stumbled in places when reading the book. Likewise, the story left Harriet confused in trying to separate out the real from the dream even though they were represented by distinct visual styles. To her the book had two parts: ugly pictures and pretty pictures. She preferred the pretty pictures but didn't know how the story fit together.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story, showing how the plain, black and white existance of a cat turns into a multi-colored panorama where anything can happen and no cats are afraid. We love our kitties and this is a fun book to read aloud to children and start a conversation about what cats dream about.

[Peacegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful and surreal, this picture book takes readers on an unexpected fantastical trip. A cat's everyday environment transforms into a colorful wonderland as soon as the cat falls asleep. This is a wonderful book for cat lovers and fans of unusual artwork.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the stranger Dav Pilkey stories I've read, I still enjoyed it. The transition from high-detail black and white to almost childlike color and back again was funny. It was an interesting idea. Not bad.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cat's world turns from black/white to colored when dreaming.

[Jen Kosegi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, dreamy illustrations!

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange little book. I think the author had a few intense acid trips and wanted to publish them and his excuse was to attribute it to a feline's dream.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Dav Pilkey. Love the illustrations in the story. Felt a little like I was on LSD between the pics and the "things that cats dream of"! LOL!

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool, and trippy.

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations accompanied by a short but sweet story.

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful pictures depict cat's quirky dreams. I enjoyed Pilkey's addition of a cat to the lap of Mona Lisa & Whistler's Mother.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks at what a cat might dream about as it's life is unchanging in the real world.

[Ann Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute children's book!

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarre enough to be pretty awesome.