Not a Cat In Sight

Be warned! If you read Not a Cat in Sight to a class of children, be prepared for much audience participation, squeals and laughter! This funny tale of Mouse will have anyone who is listening, calling out, 'He’s behind you!'.

Mouse is having a wonderfully fabulous day with no cat in sight. He can play, sky dive, be a pirate and even give a dog a bone, all without a cat being in sight. Or is there? The eagle eyed reader will quickly spot that the brilliant bright and bold illustrations tell a different story, because lurking on every page is a cat! But what is he doing?

This delightful tale with rhyme and repetition is highly engaging for young children and will have them joining in with the story. The changes in the text's font and size provides young children the experience of emphasised expression early on, and the opportunity to use it is the repetition of, 'With NOT a cat in sight'. The bright, bold illustrations really add to the text and provide an opportunity to think about other characters.

Not a Cat in Sight is a brilliant book to add to any story collection.

Picture book / Reviewed by Maria Faithorn, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+

This is a jolly, but slight, story of a little Mouse having a day full of adventures. He's also being tailed by a curious cat but Mouse manages to avoid seeing him throughout the entire day.

The text is simple and the rhyming couplets make it a bouncy read. Young children will enjoy the mouse missing the cat every time and will share the cat's frustration as he gets closer and closer, only to be thwarted by the dog at the end. The illustrations are bright and cartoony and there is enough detail to provoke much conversation about familiar settings.

While it won't earn it's place among the classic picture books, it would make a fun bedtime story or addition to a classroom bookcase.

Picture book / Reviewed by Wendy Kelly, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+