(More) Cat Books for Kids

This week’s post comes to us from Liz Pease, CCP staff member and former Executive Director of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, who was featured on CCP Episode #51.

Several years ago, I wrote a CCP blog post entitled Kids, Cats, and Books with my suggestions for kids’ books related to cats (all of which I still endorse!). Since three years have passed (and my kids have read a gazillion more books since then), I decided it was time to update the post in time for the holidays. Here are some favorites in my house that you might consider for the little cat (or animal) person in your life this year:

My son (age 3), who is truly a cat guy, loves Pete the Cat – I Love My White Shoes and Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, both by James Dean and Eric Litwin. These are fun to read, they review some basic color and number concepts, and there’s something just delightfully … well, cat-like, about Pete and his smirks.

My daughter (age 5) and her best friend are big fans of Slinky Malinki by Lynley Dodd, a fun little story about a black cat with a naughty habit of carousing through the neighborhood, stealing trinkets from everyone. Slinky’s mischief makes for a fun and funny read, right through the ending, where Slinky gets a little carried away.

Another favorite of my daughter’s is Uncle Andy’s Cats by James Warhola, nephew of Andy Warhol. While you will have to set aside your horror at the lack of spay/neuter in this book, the house full of Sams will keep you laughing. Kids will have a great time finding all the cats in their hiding places throughout the house, too.

For slightly older kids, the Zoey & Sassafras series by Asia Citro consists of chapter books with some illustrations that are good for early/mid-level readers (ages 6–10) or for reading aloud to younger kids. Throughout the series, Zoey and her cat Sassafras encounter all sorts of magical creatures and use science to figure out how to help them, making this a series I would have absolutely loved as a kid!

A couple other excellent books to consider, although they are actually about dogs (gasp!) are Don’t Lick the Dog: Making Friends with Dogs by Wendy Wahman and The Rough Patch by Brian Lies. Don’t Lick the Dog has great tips for kids about interacting with dogs and how to read their body language—concepts that are great to keep in mind with cats as well. And The Rough Patch is a beautiful story about losing your best pet friend. It is the truest description I have ever read of how I have felt after cats of mine have died, and while it’s sad, I think it’s a great way to help kids understand that feeling sad—and even angry—is totally normal when you’re grieving.

Finally, even though I mentioned this series in the last blog, I have to mention the Mr. Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant again. These are very short illustrated chapter books that are great for beginning readers or for reading aloud. Even after years of reading these books, my husband and I never tire of them. The first book in the series, Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea, still brings a tear to my eye every time as old Mr. Putter goes in search of a companion and ends up finding his soulmate at the local shelter.

Enjoy—and let us know what your favorite kids’ books about cats are!

Liz Pease is the former Executive Director of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society and previously served as the Feral Cat Program Director and Director of Operations at MRFRS. She has been involved in animal welfare since 2004, when she TNRed her first (of many) feral cats. Liz now works as an editor and proofreader, and has been part of the CCP staff since 2018. She lives in Salisbury, MA with her husband and two small kids, plus four cats and two chickens—all of whom hang out together in their catio-turned-chicken-coop.