They All Saw a Cat
Brendan Wenzel

“The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws.” So begins an imaginative look at a cat from many different perspectives. A little boy sees him as a furry pet with a red collar and a brass bell, yet a fox chases him as prey. A fish perceives the cat though a watery film, while a mouse sees red for danger, pointy teeth, and cruel yellow eyes. Be surprised at the myriad of dots representing a bee’s compound eyes and by a flea’s-eye view from a waving sea of cat hairs. Imagine the vibrations felt by a worm as the cat walks over him on rich brown earth--a pattern of glittering dots is picked up by a bat’s radar. Yes, “the cat knew them all, and they all knew the cat.” But how about the cat himself? Peer into a stream with him and wonder if he recognizes what he sees!
2016, Ages 4 to 8

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.

Du Iz Tak?
Carson Ellis

“Du iz tak?” Two damselflies observe a tiny green sprout and wonder what it is. Insects have a language of their own, which they speak as Ellis takes readers on a journey through the seasons from insect perspective. Borrowing a “litter” from a woodlouse, they climb up the growing plant to build an ingenious “furt” that even has a pulley to haul up water. A giant spider spins a net over their fort, only to be hauled off by a huge bird of prey. Will they rebuild? Follow details on every page to see the seasonal changes in Ellis’s utterly charming gouache and watercolor illustrations. Especially delightful are night scenes where an elegant cricket soulfully plays his violin on a sawed-off branch--in autumn he’s joined by a beautiful moth dancing under the waning moon. Snow descends; all is white and deserted. But one day, a little fly discovers new green shoots. “Du iz tak?”
2016, Ages 4 to 8

Check it out from your library using the library catalog. Donate to an improved Sebastopol Regional Library here.

Recommended by: Barbara Talcroft
Barbara Talcroft reviews children’s books professionally for childrenslit.com and for Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database.  She has a Master’s degree in International Children’s Literature.  She also has many years’ experience as a teacher.  Barbara is one of the founders of LANTERN and its past chairperson.