They All Saw a Cat

Starred review from July 4, 2016
“The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws,” writes Wenzel (Beastly Babies) at the opening of this perspective-broadening picture book. What those features add up to depends on the eyes of the beholder, not to mention scale relationships, instincts, and history. To a child, the cat looks like a pet: affectionate, big eyed, and adorable. But a flea sees a vast forest of dense hair to conquer. A mouse cowers before the dragonlike creature of horror that bounds out of a blood-red background with blazing yellow eyes. And a bee sees a collection of multicolored dots—a pointillist pussycat. The simple text (“the skunk saw a cat, and the worm saw a cat, and the bat saw a cat. Yes, they all saw the cat”) creates a powerful, rhythmic juxtaposition between word and image, and inventively varied renderings showcase a versatile, original talent at work, in media ranging from collage to pencil and watercolor. This is Wenzel’s first book as both illustrator and writer, and it’s marvelous—no matter how you look at it. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

June 15, 2016
Wouldn't the same housecat look very different to a dog and a mouse, a bee and a flea, a fox, a goldfish, or a skunk?The differences are certainly vast in Wenzel's often melodramatic scenes. Benign and strokable beneath the hand of a light-skinned child (visible only from the waist down), the brindled cat is transformed to an ugly, skinny slinker in a suspicious dog's view. In a fox's eyes it looks like delectably chubby prey but looms, a terrifying monster, over a cowering mouse. It seems a field of colored dots to a bee; jagged vibrations to an earthworm; a hairy thicket to a flea. "Yes," runs the terse commentary's refrain, "they all saw the cat." Words in italics and in capital letters in nearly every line give said commentary a deliberate cadence and pacing: "The cat walked through the world, / with its whiskers, ears, and paws... // and the fish saw A CAT." Along with inviting more reflective viewers to ruminate about perception and subjectivity, the cat's perambulations offer elemental visual delights in the art's extreme and sudden shifts in color, texture, and mood from one page or page turn to the next. A solo debut for Wenzel showcasing both technical chops and a philosophical bent. (Picture book. 6-8)

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December 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 3-Readers see the world through a different set of eyes thanks to Wenzel's whimsical and eye-catching artwork as a child, a fox, a worm, and others look on as a tabby saunters through a variety of environments. Each distinctive and imaginative spread features a shape-shifting perspective-such as a bee's pointillistic view of the feline-set to a stripped-down, rhythmic text.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2016
Preschool-G *Starred Review* What does saw mean anyway? If you're Wenzel, the word is an invitation to explore, to think, and to see in new ways. Here, a repeating refrain with more than a hint of nursery rhyme pads through the book, right along with the central character: a cat. The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws. Yes, they all saw a cat. Each page turn reveals how a series of creatures sees the cat. To the child, it is big-eyed and adorably fluffy; to the fish in the bowl, it's two huge, blurry eyes; and to the bee, it is a series of faceted dots. To create these varied visions, Wenzel uses the spacious width of double-page spreads and a wide range of materials, including oil, pastels, watercolor, and pencils. He plays with perspective in other ways, too. A yellow bird looks down at the cat below, and a flea peers through a forest of fur. The result is fascinating, thought-provoking, and completely absorbing. Rich in discussion possibilities and curriculum applications, this is a treasure for classrooms, story hours, and just plain enjoyment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2017
As a sleek, realistic-looking cat walks -through the world,- a diverse assortment of creatures happens upon it, each with a distinct perception of the feline. Rendered in -almost everything imaginable,- Wenzel's colorful, dazzling illustrations are as varied from page to page as the animals represented. The spare but steady text uses all-caps and italics for emphasis and plenty of rhythm and repetition.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2016
Seeing is perceiving. As a cat walks through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws, a diverse assortment of creatures happens upon it, each with a distinct (if sometimes enigmatic) perception of the feline. To the fox, the cat is a frightened, plump morsel; to the fish, it is a fuzzy blur through a glass bowl; to the flea, it is all hair; and to the mouse, the cat is a nightmarish combination of ferocious eyes, claws, and teeth. Rendered in almost everything imaginable (including colored pencil, oil pastels, acrylic paint, watercolor, charcoal, Magic Marker, and more), Wenzel's colorful, dazzling illustrations are as varied from page to page as the animals represented. The text is spare but steady, with all-caps and italics used for emphasis, and plenty of rhythm and repetition. The story apexes in a mash-up showing the cat on a double-page spread reminiscent of Eric Carle's Mixed-Up Chameleon. YES, THEY ALL SAW A CAT! The book ends in a question as the cat looks at its reflection in a pond, and readers are asked to imagine what it saw. When the cat is illustrated without a particular character's lens provided, it is sleek and realistic-looking with a face that is never shown directly; that mystery, given the sense of inquiry and wonder this book constructs, is fittingly left for readers to contemplate. elisa gall

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)