It’s no secret I’m a cat lover. (Hi, Muffin the Cat!)
Here are my favorite cat picture books (the small cat kind—I’ll save big cats for another time).
New Cat by Yangsook Choi (1999).
This cat lives in Mr. Kim’s tofu factory. That’s right! I love a picture book with so much specificity. And tofu. And sweetness. That New Cat saves the day for Mr. Kim.
I Like Cats by Patricia Hubbell, illustrated by Pamela Paparone (2004).
This one celebrates all the kinds of cats!! All the colors, sizes, traits, and antics of cats!
Square Cat by Elizabeth Schoonmaker (2011).
Let’s just say it’s not easy being a square cat in a round cat world. This book is so funny, and full of friendship too. Just look at that Square Cat, Eula!
Cat Napped by Leeza Hernandea (2014, just released June 12th!).
In this one, a cat who likes to mosey and curl up nice and cozy ends up cat napped! Well, not exactly cat napped. But still, she needs to be reunited with her owner so she can be a wrap, lap, nap cat again. (And the cat’s eyes, you will be taken in by its eyes!)
Goyangi Means Cat by Christine McDonnell, pictures by Steven Johnson and Lou Fancher (2011).
A young girl moves to America, where she doesn’t speak English, and develops a bond with a cat. Goyangi. And then, when there’s trouble, Goyangi becomes her connection to this new world and new language.
How to Be a Cat by Nikki McClure (2013).
Quintessential Nikki McClure in which one perfect word accompanies a cut paper illustration. Stretch, Pounce, Clean: the essence of cat.
Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin (2011).
Beautiful and clever. Don’t cats and haiku just naturally go together?!
Your turn. Cat books that make the meow?
love love love. & there’s also: Kitten’s First Full Moon. & Sweet Dream Pie (cat’s aren’t the featured character, but Mark Teague sneaks them in everywhere!) & though I’m not gaga over the illustrations, Pete the Cat has a fabulous attitude. 🙂 xoc
Thanks for those additions, Cricket!
And I love that you’ve chosen a kind of secret cat book with SWEET DREAM PIE (which is new to me).
Now I want to compile a list of books with cats throughout! (SYMPHONY CITY immediately comes to mind but there must be more!!: https://thispicturebooklife.com/symphony-citysounds-around/)
You’ve got it! WonTon is one of my favorites. Of course, there’s “The Library Lion” by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawks, if we allow large felines into the fold. I also love one of Judy Schachner’s PB’s (1999) before the Skippy Jon Jones kitty boy phenomenon called “The Grannyman.” It’s about an old Siamese cat who gets a new outlook on life when a kitten shows up.
Hooray for cat books! Thank you so much for bringing my attention to THE GRANNYMAN. It looks wonderful! (And it’s what I hope happens to my loner of a cat someday when she’d older.) 🙂
Picked up THE GRANNYMAN at the library and LOVED it.
I’ve done at least two posts about cat books, and none of these books were on them! Yay for new-to-me cat books! 🙂
Danzel, I’m glad and amazed there was no overlap! More cat picture books to go around!
Oh gosh – there are so many wonderful ones!
Captain Cat by Inga Moore
City Cat by Kate Banks
Minette’s Feast by Susanna Reich
Love them all – purrfectly fabulous!
Oh, thank you for reminding me of MINETTE’S FEAST! It’s a gem. And I’ll add CITY CAT to my list!
Also:
CATS’ NIGHT OUT by Caroline Stutson and illustrated by Jon Klassen
THERE ARE CATS IN THIS BOOK by Viviane Schwarz and THERE ARE NO CATS IN THIS BOOK by Viviane Schwarz
HONDO AND FABRIAN by Peter McCarty (and HENRY IN LOVE also is a cat)
Great recommendations, Liz! Thanks for stopping by. I especially love CAT’S NIGHT OUT.
By the way, your illustrations are fantastic and I look forward to your debut!!
Thanks, Danielle – should have figured you’d have the purrfect post!
I just hope you’re illustrating a cat! 🙂
And I have a rhyming text – sheesh!
Thank you for including my book WON TON! Just wanted you to know that a companion title will be published March 17, 2015: WON TON AND CHOPSTICK – A CAT AND DOG TALE TOLD IN HAIKU. In this adventure, Won Ton’s purrfect life with is boy is changed forever when the family adopt s (gasp!) dog. I hope you’ll take a peek! Best fishes!
Hi Lee,
Thanks for stopping by and great to hear about the upcoming book! I loved the first, so I’m sure the second will be a treat!
All the best,
Danielle
I hope you’ll find it a treat as well, even though there’s a dog involved. I’ve never owned a dog – – although I’ve shared my life with 30 cats (not all at the same time!), so I actually had to do research for WON TON AND CHOPSTICK. BTW, one of my all-time favorite cat books is I AM THE CAT by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Mark Buehner. It’s out of print now, but I highly recommend you snag a used copy on Amazon. The poetry and illustrations are pawsome. (Peruse each picture to find teeny tiny mice and other surprises hidden in the art.) Purrs, Lee Wardlaw