The illustrations in They All Saw a Cat were rendered in almost everything imaginable: colored pencil, oil pastels, acrylic paint, watercolor, charcoal, Magic Marker, and number 2 pencils.

Considering how personal a project They All Saw A Cat was, and how much of my own experience ended up in the book, the fact that it has been resonating with readers is meaningful in a way that is tough to properly communicate.Īll that being said, my wife and I have a mantra, “Keep it about the work.” Goal number one is always trying to stay engaged with, and appreciative of, the creative process-whether that be digging around and exploring new interests or doing my best to stay present and playful when working with materials and creating images.Īll the excitement now that the book is finished is wonderful and humbling, but it’s icing on the cake, and I’m certainly doing my best to stay focused on the cake. Wow! How does this exceptional response to your work make you feel?īrendan Wenzel: I feel incredibly fortunate and appreciative! It’s beyond humbling to hear some of the very kind things people have been saying about the book. It has been claimed by an editor that you are “the next freakin’ Eric Carle.” Influential librarian Betsy Bird declared that she believes you have created the Caldecott winner for 2017. The Children’s Book Review: They All Saw a Cat is your debut picture book as both the author and illustrator. (Aug.The Children’s Book Review | AugWe All Saw a Cat! And You Should Too!

This is Wenzel’s first book as both illustrator and writer, and it’s marvelous-no matter how you look at it. 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. The simple text (“the skunk saw a cat, and the worm saw a cat, and the bat saw a cat. And a bee sees a collection of multicolored dots-a pointillist pussycat. A mouse cowers before the dragonlike creature of horror that bounds out of a blood-red background with blazing yellow eyes. But a flea sees a vast forest of dense hair to conquer. To a child, the cat looks like a pet: affectionate, big eyed, and adorable.

What those features add up to depends on the eyes of the beholder, not to mention scale relationships, instincts, and history. “ 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.

They all saw a cat book