They All Saw a Cat gets 5 Stars {picture book, caldecott honor}

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel is a fantastic book with beautiful pictures and a great simple story with lots of repetition and attention to detail.  

They All Saw a Cat won a Caldecott Honor this year b/c the illustrations in this book are fantastic and not only enhance the story, but the pictures are critical in telling the story.  

I even love the detail of cat fur found on the endpapers shown above.  I have a special place in my heart for endpapers that enhance the story. 
         

This picture book, They All Saw a Cat, that is all about perspective gets 5 out of 5 stars in my book review.  

I love the way Wenzel tells the story of the cat and how others see this cat.  This concept of perspective that is so well illustrated in a book that I find to be creative, fun, and simple enough even toddlers will enjoy.  However, you can dive into deeper ideas with older kids and adults, such as how others see us and how we see ourselves.  A story that is creative, simple and to the point, and can be enjoyed by such a wide range of ages are just a few of the reasons this book won the coveted 5 star rating from me.  

What did you think of They All Saw a Cat? 

They All Saw a Cat is an awesome picture book, and it would make a great read aloud for preschool to a 2nd grade classroom, but it would also make a great read aloud book for an art teacher discussing perspective, or a writing lesson on how we perceive things can change the story.

This story has a lot of potential for lessons and read aloud fun for many ages.  It's definitely a keeper, and a good book to purchase if you will use it in classroom lessons.   

Please tell me you enjoyed the different pictures I've included.  There are so many other awesome ones in the book too that I had a hard time narrowing down which ones to share with you.  In the picture above, I love how the mouse sees the cat as a villain so the colors are red, bold, and scary looking. I love the way the bee sees the cat illustrated in the picture below.  

All in all, I think Brendan Wenzel did a great job as a first time author and illustrator.  

Goodreads (I'm Megan - Alohamora Open a Book if you want to be friends, I'm really trying to be more active on there) had the following book description: 

"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?"

Happy Simple, Fun, and Repetitious Caldecott Honor Cat Loving Picture Book reading! 

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
Rating: 5/5 stars
Best For: 2-6 year old, toddler through 1st grade
Worth a Check Out: Yes!
Buy It or Not: If you teach or love American history then definitely yes.
Read Aloud: Yes! Fun simple story for young kids, and lovely concept for older.
Lesson Ideas:  Perspective, Repetition, Art, Writing, and How others see us verse how we see ourselves.