Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!
Oh boy, do I have a gem to share with you today!
Perhaps this lovely book particularly appeals to me because its message of loving, losing, and new beginnings strikes a chord with me right now, but I think anyone and everyone can appreciate what it has to offer! I wish I could show you the whole thing – every page! – but you’ll just have to trot right out to the library after PPBF! 🙂
Title: Big Cat, Little Cat
Written & Illustrated By: Elisha Cooper
Roaring Brook Press, March 2017, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-6 years
Themes/Topics: friendship, cycle of life
Opening: “There was a cat who lived alone. Until the day a new cat came…”
copyright Elisha Cooper 2017
Brief Synopsis: Two cats become friends and do everything together until one day the older cat has to go…and he doesn’t come back.
Links To Resources: draw a picture of you and your pet; write a story or poem about your pet; how would you describe your pet to someone who had never met it? talk about what love means – is love for a pet the same as love for a sibling or friend or parent? what are some things that let you know you love someone, or that someone loves you? has a pet you loved ever died? how did it make you feel? what did you do to feel better?
Why I Like This Book: I LOVE this book. It is the most beautiful, perfect, sweet book I’ve read in a long, long time. 186 words of sheer genius. The kind of book every writer (well, at least this one!) dreams of writing. A full, emotionally satisfying, complete story arc in less than 200 words. Simple, yet so evocative. Wonder and delight, learning and play, joy, contentment, friendship, love, grief, endings and beginnings – it’s all here. The art is a perfect complement – simple black and white drawings that convey personality, action, expression, and just enough detail, with one page in gray to show sadness, and a soft glow of pale butternut on just three pages to show warmth and contentment. The text and art are also thoughtfully spaced to give time and distance where needed. A lovely book to gently help children understand life, love, loss, new life and new love. And writers, if you haven’t seen this book, rush out and read it – seriously I am not kidding! – a fabulous example of how to do it right! Definitely in the “wish I wrote that!” category 🙂
copyright Elisha Cooper 2017
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
I love this book. It is an amazing, both for its gentle presentation of loss and for its sheer simplicity. Definitely on my wish list to buy. Thanks Sussanna for featuring this book.
Yes you certainly have picked a beautiful book. A huge message in such simplicity. Have a great weekend and hope you don’t get too snowed in. Enjoying a lovely 25degC weekend down here… 🙂
WOW. We all read lots of reviews and I most make me want to read the book. This makes me want to run out and buy and keep and savor this story.
Looks purrrfectly adorable, especially for a cat lover like me who is also a school counselor always on the prowl for books with a strong loss theme. Happy St. Patrick’s Day and thank you, as always, for hosting PPBF!
I really like this book about life cycles — not to mention that it stars cats. It’s a gentle way to introduce aging and death. This would pair nicely with the very first book I reviewed for PPBF, The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye by Jane Yolen. Lovely choice. Will look forward to read this lovely pick. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Your description of this book left me a little teary-eyed. I can only imagine what reading the book will do to me! I’ve placed a hold at the library for this one. Thanks for sharing, Susanna!
Wow! I’m not a much of a cat person, but you made me want to go get that book, and maybe even a cat! Sorry if you are experiencing your own loss right now. Hope scout is doing ok. ❤
So, so impressed by your pick today. I’ll grab a copy and a box of tissues. Thanks.
Oh my, I must read this one. It’s so important to have books like this to help kids understand the cycle of life.
Life, love, and loss is a difficult topic to grasp and share with little ones. It sounds like this PPBF does a splendid job of tackling this matter and presenting in a gentle way that little ones can absorb.
Thank you so much for sharing your pick.
Thank you, Susanna…we all can use a lovely book about dealing with life and love nad loss.
This one looks like a diamond!
And guess what Monday is? The first day of Spring! YAY! Wishing you the sweet smell of fresh buds and soil warmed by the sun…if the darned snow will ever melt!
Your review of this book is urgently convincing, and I will indeed get a copy for myself. The topic of love and loss can be difficult for children (and adults), it looks like this book gets it right!
Interesting that I came upon your blog today in the midst of worrying about MY kitty. Haven’t seen him in almost 2 days. This morning we noticed he had been in to eat his food. However, we were dismayed to see a trail of blood leading to the cat door. Making me sad to think he’s out there somewhere injured. Searching off & on all day….