Only the Cat Saw

by Ashley Wolff, Ashley Wolff (Illustrator)

Overview

What does a curious farm cat see when the sun goes down, the stars come out, and everyone else is fast asleep? Find out in this brand new, fully refreshed and repainted edition of Ashley Wolff’s classic Only the Cat Saw.

When night falls, a family eases into supper, bath, and bedtime. But while their day is ending, their farm cat’s adventures have just begun! Only the cat sees the sun set over a flock of sheep, an owl stalking a mouse, a shooting star...and much, much more. This peaceful, visually stunning story explores what happens at night when no one—well, almost no one—is watching.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481466936
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	06/16/2020
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Lexile:	AD370L (what's this?)
File size:	33 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 Months to 5 Years

About the Author

Ashley Wolff lives in Vermont and is the author and illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including the modern classic Miss Bindergarten series by Joseph Slate, and her own celebrated Only the Cat Saw; Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear?; Baby Bear Counts One; and Baby Bear Sees Blue. Visit her at AshleyWolff.com.

Editorial Reviews

Pictures show the natural wonders that go unnoticed by a busy young familyexcept by their observant cat. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 1 The members of this family are all busy with the evening's activities: preparing supper, tending to the baby, bathing, reading, sleeping. ``So only the cat saw. . .'' the sunset, fireflies near the barn, an owl ready to catch a mouse, a shooting star in the night sky, a sudden rain. These natural occurrences are described wordlessly via textured, dramatic, full-color paintings that cover each double-page spread. On alternating spreads the family's activities are depicted on the right-hand page opposite the text on the left. The predictable format, text and illustrated scenes combine to create a comfortable portrait of a contemporary family. Father prepares dinner and helps care for Sam. A sleepy mother nurses the baby. The style used here is quite different from that in A Year of Birds (Dodd, 1984) or in The Bells of London (Dodd, 1985). Though Wolff continues to use uncommon perspectives, here she plays with light and its effect to achieve warmth and mood. The paintings are softer, less angular and more detailed, due not only to the medium used but also because of the subject matter. A striking book. Maria B. Salvadore, District of Columbia Public Library

School Library Journal

Ever wondered what a pet sees? In this reillustrated version of her 1988 original, authorillustrator Wolff shows the world from a new perspective as she invites readers to explore everyday life from a cat's point of view. In this story, the cat in question lives with a loving family of four on a farm. During suppertime, the family sees the meal setup while the cat sees the sheep outside the window. At nighttime, the family is preoccupied with bath time or storytime, while the cat is eager to venture outdoors. When everyone finally sleeps, there are more scenes that can't be missed. The illustrations, newly painted for this edition, depict a family of color in the warmth of their home. The text encourages readers to complete the sentence "So only the cat saw . . ." by filling in the blank with their observations. Add it to the roster of bedtime stories alongside Margaret Wise Brown and Jerry Pinkney's A Home in the Barn (2018).

April 30, 2020 - Online Exclusive Booklist

★ 2020-02-26
An animal’s-eye view of a typical night on a farm.

As Tessa, a little curly-haired, olive-skinned girl, her father, mother, and baby brother, Sam, progress through an evening, a night, and a morning, their yellow-eyed, marmalade tabby cat sees much that the humans miss. Following each refrain of “only the cat saw...” is a wordless, double-page spread of the cat prowling about: gazing at the sheep from the window; catching fireflies; watching an owl hunt a mouse; and more. After the tabby’s active night, the narrative shifts to Tessa’s perspective for a satisfying ending. Wolff’s spectacularly textured, highly saturated paintings show that cats who wander have lives all their own, independent of their owners. With these new illustrations accompanying a text first published in 1985, Wolff also offers intimate views of this multiracial family that are rarely found in picture books: Readers see Tessa’s head and legs as she sits on the toilet at 2 a.m.; Mother nurses Sam in bed while Father sleeps. Since the book opens with Father hanging laundry on the clothesline while holding baby Sam in a baby carrier and ends with Father feeding Sam while Mother cooks breakfast, it seems that both parents take an equal share in raising the children and caring for the house.

A beautiful, quiet, indoor-outdoor family story that will dazzle the eye and warm the heart. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews