Only the Cat Saw

Only the the Cat Saw (by Ashley Wolff) is an illustrated book that my Aunt Roma gave me when I was a very young girl. I might have been five or six years old, but I can't quite remember.

There are not very many words in it. The illustrations are beautiful full-color paintings.

It's the story of a small orange farm cat. He’s nocturnal, as most cats are, and it tells us his story: his adventures, and what he sees, all while people and other animals are busy, sleeping, working, or doing other things.

He sees the mother, sitting in a rocking chair in a corner of the house, nursing a new baby; she’s singing softly to the new baby, in the peace and stillness.

He sees the farmer out in the garage, fixing the red tractor; then he walks out on the lawn and sees hundreds of fireflies in the grass.

He sees an owl hunting a small mouse in the shadows, under the low light of the moon.

He sees lightning outside, and rain pouring down the kitchen window. 

He sees the animals in the barn, getting all tucked in for the night. There is a small family of brown dogs (the mamma and puppies) and they get all settled in cozily into a cute little basket.

The book closes on an image of the cat, fast asleep in a basket on a rug, as the rest of the family wakes up to start the new day.

The message of the book (for me) is to slow down, and see. Observe. Pause. Notice things. Notice the details that everyone else misses. 

I know it might seem silly for my first post to be about a children's book, but this may be where it all began for me. Out of all the books I read with I was little, this book has stayed with me through the years. It's the first book I ever remember.

Thank you Aunt Roma, from the bottom of my heart - you ignited my lifelong passion for books.

This post is part of the 31 Days of Bibliophilia series.