BIG CAT, LITTLE CAT

The circle of life in a cat-loving household.

“There was a cat // who lived alone. / Until the day // a new cat came.” The big white cat meets the little black cat and shows it how to be a cat: when to drink and when to eat, where to potty, and when to nap. The black cat grows up, and the two do everything together: climbing, hunting, exploring, and (sometimes) going wild—but just for a short time. Years go by, and the white cat gets older. One day the black cat is alone…and that is hard “for everyone.” (Here there’s a black silhouette of a family of humans). Then…one day, a little white cat appears, and the black cat shows it how to be a cat. “Big cat, little cat.” Cooper’s gentle tale of the loss of a feline friend is perfect bibliotherapy for those who have lost a loved pet. His deceptively simple, fluid black-and-white line drawings bring all aspects of cat life to the page. And the subtle background colors of selected spreads—yellow for happy times, gray for sad—effectively convey the emotions.

A hard book to read for anyone who has lost a feline family member but a heart-healing message all the same.