Cat Picture book recommendation are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Cat Picture Books — https://amzn.to/47WSSOy .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Arthur’s Cat
by Johan Leynaud (Author), Sarah Ardizzone (Translator)
Summary: Arthur loves his cat, Zeffo and wants to do everything with him. Zeffo wants his personal space. After a too tight hug and scratching-to-be-free incident, Zeffo hides. Will Arthur learn to love his cat by giving Zeffo the freedom he needs?
Comments: This is an exceptional Social-Emotional Learning book that addresses boundaries. This read-aloud teaches kids that friendship can mean taking a step back and allowing it to form.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
Late Today
by Jungyoon Huh (Author), Myungae Lee (Illustrator), Aerin Park (Translator)
Summary: The Seogang Bridge in Seoul, South Korea, is busy with morning traffic on a rainy day. There is a kitten darting between the cars trying to survive. Why isn’t anyone stopping to help? Will anyone help?
Comments: The illustrations were created using colored pencils and oil pastels. They effectively complement and enhance the text. They help to create the gloomy, rainy day and the lightness at the end of the story.
What a wonderful read-aloud and discussion book.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
My Friend May
by Julie Flett (Author)
Summary: Margaux has a cat named May living with her. The cat does not return for dinner one day. Everyone looks for the cat but cannot find her. Margaux helps her auntie, Nitôsis, move to the city. Will they ever find May?
Comments: There are Cree words sprinkled throughout with a glossary and pronunciation key in the back.
The illustrations were created in pastels and pencils and composited digitally.
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Ramon Fellini the Dog Detective
by Guilherme Karsten (Author)
Brief summary: The mystery begins with the fish bowl on the floor and a boy quickly putting his pet goldfish into a plastic baggie of water. There is a knock on the door. The boy opens the door to find Ramon Fellini, the dog detective, ready to offer his services to help figure out how the fishbowl fell. The boy is quite impressed with the dog detective’s cat disguise. He looks just like a cat. Will they be able to figure out who is the culprit?
Comments: This is an outstanding whodunnit picture book that children will love. The humor engages them as they take on the role of a detective trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the fish. They will know that something isn’t quite right with the devious detective.
This hilarious mystery picture book is a Brazilian translation, initially published in 2021 and translated to English in 2025. The illustrations were created digitally.
Not only is this a fun read-aloud, but it could also teach clues in the text and illustrations as well as predictability of what will happen next.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I received a free copy of this book.
A Cat Like That
by Lester L. Laminack (Author), Nicole Wong (Illustrator)
Summary: A cat walks through the neighborhood visiting various places and people but not staying too long before continuing it’s journey around the neighborhood.
Comments: This story is told through the eyes of a cat. Rhyming text. Readers will wonder where the cat will go on the island next.
Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
The Cat Way
by Sara Lundberg (Author), B.J. Woodstein (Translator)
Brief summary: Part 1: The person walks with the cat every day, always leading the way. The cat stops to play with a friend, but the human scares the friend away by stomping a foot. The feline asks, “Why are you always in charge?”
The cat leaves the human who stays outside looking all over for the cat. Frozen, the person goes home to find the cat.
Part 2: Today, the cat is in charge and takes the human on a little adventure into the woods. The cat shows the human a beautiful night sky before going home. They decide to compromise by taking turns who can be in charge of their walks.
Comments: The illustrations were created using gouache and watercolor.
Rating: 4.5 /5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.
Don’t Trust Cats: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog
by Dev Petty (Author), Mike Boldt (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Chip, the dog, warns young readers not to trust cats and advises us who and what can be trusted.
Comments: The humorous illustrations go well with the freehand lettering to make the dog’s narrative authentic.
We do not find out why Chip the Dog has a cone around his neck, but the cat is probably involved. That would be a good question to discuss with students.
This is a nice persuasive writing example and will be enjoyed as a funny read-aloud.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Carina Felina
by Carmen Agra Deedy (Author), Henry Cole (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Pepe the parrot loves Carina Felina, the cat. He invites her to his house for dinner, where he has made 100 Cuban crackers. Carina Felina ate them all and Pepe! The greedy and narcissistic cat goes through the town, eating and eating everyone she comes across. Will they ever get out of the cat’s belly?
Comments: This is a Caribbean retelling of “The Cat and the Parrot”. There are some Spanish words in the story with a pronunciation key in the back and the recipe for Pepe’s Cuban Crackers.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
This Little Kitty in the Garden
by Karen Obuhanych (Author)
Brief summary: Spring has arrived, and five cats living on Sakura Way head towards the garden shed to collect their tools to work on creating a garden. However, they get distracted upon going there and start enjoying the presence of other creatures already in the garden. The owners of the cats come out to the garden and are delighted to see that everything has been planted.
Comments: The illustrations were created with colored pencils, charcoal, and cut paper.
Rating: 4/5–📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, retired elementary school librarian who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.