It’s an on going debate. It comes out in casual conversation, at social gatherings, in line-ups, even in the playground. Are you a cat or dog person? In our house it’s cats all the way; we have four. So you can guess books about cats are a popular read in our home. Even if you’re not a cat person these books are great to read with your little ones.
Written by Cindy Ward, Illustrated by Tomie dePaola
(age 3 – 5)
Kids will enjoy following the mischief cookie the kitten gets into during the week. From falling in the toilet on Monday to climbing the curtains on Saturday, Cookie’s Week is great at reinforcing the different days of the week.The repetitive text makes it fun for kids to anticipate what comes next. The limited text also makes it a great book for early readers.
Cats, Cats, Cats!
Written by Leslea Newman, Illustrated by Erika Oller
Written by Leslea Newman, Illustrated by Erika Oller
Published by Simon and Schuster
(age 4-8)
Mrs. Brown lives on the edge of town with a house full of cats, all sorts of shapes and sizes and colours. But Mrs. Brown doesn’t mind at all. She enjoys spending time with them, petting them, chatting with them, even doing their nails. But the real cat fun begins after Mrs. Brown goes to bed. My kids love the story of Mrs. Brown and her partying cats, as told in a lyrical rhyme. You’ll laugh at the craziness these cats get up to when Mrs. Brown is asleep. Makes me wonder what our cats do when we’re asleep.
Grumpy Cat
Written and Illustrated by Britta Techentrup
Written and Illustrated by Britta Techentrup
Published by Boxer Books
(age 3 – 6)
Cat ate alone, slept alone, spent time alone. The other cats thought he was grumpy but Cat was just lonely. One stormy night cat met Kitten and everything changed. Sometimes a person’s shy or introverted behaviour doesn’t mean they want to be alone. This story illustrates this well through Kitten’s act of kindness how Cat’s personality changes; this shows to kids that a simple ‘hi’ or smile can impact those around you.
Scat, Cats! (Easy-to-Read, Puffin)
Written by Joan Holub, illustrated by Rich Davis
Written by Joan Holub, illustrated by Rich Davis
Published by Puffin
Easy to Read, Level 1
(age 4 – 8)
A sister and brother are inundated by loud cats, sly cats, all sorts of cats, but the kids start to miss the cats after they scare them away. This Easy-to-Read book is great for beginning to read with its fun rhyme. It reminds you also to be thankful for what you have, not to take advantage of the things you love, even if you don’t really know you love them. My son loved when I read this story to him as a child; it’s still a popular read with all my kids and now my oldest reads it to her little sister.
Published by Little Brown
(age 4-8)
Bad Cat lives in the city, the big stinky he calls it. No matter where he goes, trouble seems to follow. Or does it? People are annoyed or upset with Bad Cat until they realize his actions actually had positive outcomes, but by that time Bad Cat was on the run again. This is one of my favourite stories, one about innocent behaviour and making quick judgements. It’s a great story to share with kids, illustrating that something good can be found in most actions if you look. I love Bad Cat’s innocent behaviour, similar to that of a child.
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Carrie Anne is a contributing writer on No Time For Flash Cards , she is a cat person , Managing editor of EverythingMom.com and an avid reader. You can catch up with her on her blog Another Day. Another Thought…Or Two
CynthiaK says
Brilliant! Thanks Carrie Anne! I’m a big time cat lover and this is a great collection!
shar says
My favourite cat book is ‘My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes’ by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd. And if you’re a dog person who could beat ‘Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy’. Both are wonderful rhyming books.
I am looking forward to finding the books you have mentioned as I am not familiar with them. Thank you 🙂
.-= shar´s last blog ..HELP PLEASE =-.
Britt, Book Habitue says
We haven’t read any of the others, but we LOVE Cookie’s Week!! My oldest got it as the prize for a summer reading thing a couple years ago.
.-= Britt, Book Habitue´s last blog ..July in Review =-.
esme says
Check out “Ginger” and the prequel “Ginger Finds A Home” by Charlotte Voalk — very sweet books!
sharon says
Another great book for kids about cats is “Naughty Kitty” by Adam Stower He also has a book “Silly Doggy” Hope you enjoy them.
Allison McDonald says
Thanks!
Meow says
Love cats!