Big Cat, Little Cat

About the Book

This remarkable book opens with a black line drawing of a white cat, set against a white page with the words, “There was a cat.” A series of smaller pictures lay out the life of the cat, who lived alone. On the day a new cat comes, we see only a small black cat on the left-hand page and the bigger white cat on the right. In spare text and elegant pictures, the big cat introduces the little cat to their life. Years pass of days together and then a day comes when the white cat is gone and doesn’t return. “And that was hard.” But the cycle begins again when a little white cat arrives to learn from the big cat and they in turn become friends.

Why this Book?

Here is the cycle of life in 32 black-and-white pages and fewer than 175 words. It conveys friendship, joy, sadness, loneliness–and then friendship and joy again. On the page following the text, “And that was hard,” humans appear for the only time, black silhouettes set apart from the black cat, with the sentence completed with the words, “For everyone.” Cat lovers will especially appreciate the cats’ daily life of eating, drinking, climbing the sofa, playing with yarn, and dreaming. “Their days were full.” The illustrations poignantly express loneliness and grief, then end happily on a scene of quiet togetherness. The final picture shows the two cats curled up together: “Big cat, little cat.” An amazing book.