Can you resist a picture book with a hilarious (and beautifully designed) cover? I certainly can’t. All I had to see were the titular cat’s enormous eyes and the title (Inside Cat), and I was hooked. Brendan Wenzel’s latest picture book is ART – and it’s funny, charming, original, and thought-provoking too!
From the endlessly inventive Caldecott Honor author/illustrator of They All Saw a Cat comes a picture book that is playful, perceptive, and full of delights. Inside Cat is just that: an inside cat. But while the cat's life is bound by the walls of an unusual house, it's far from dull. As the cat wanders, wonders, stares, and snacks, roaming from room to room and place to place, both cat and reader discover worlds and sensations beyond what's right in front of them. And just when Inside Cat is sure it knows everything, another surprise awaits! Fresh, funny, and wise, Inside Cat is a feast for the eyes and the imagination.
Inside Cat views the world from, well, inside. It wonders and wanders all day long, looking out of windows of all kinds, at all sorts of things. The world of inside is pale and colorless – and in contrast, outside is vibrant, interesting, and stranger than strange. Inside Cat might think it knows everything there is to know from observing the world, but of course human readers know that the outside is wild, and distance changes your view of everything. In this witty and highly detailed picture book, author-illustrator Wenzel will charm readers of all ages with humor, language, and of course, art.
As an avid reader (since always), and now as an English teacher, I’m interested in the ways that we play with language and storytelling in primarily visual mediums like graphic novels and picture books. Wenzel has written a text that would read as a charming poem independent of the illustrations. Words rhyme throughout, and Wenzel employs alliteration, repetition, and many action verbs. There’s also a strong thread of humor, in both the look of the book (Inside Cat’s googly eyes are too much!), and in the ways that Inside Cat identifies elements of the world, both inside and out. Many of the jokes are not explicit in the text, but illustrated (literally!) in the ways that Inside Cat thinks, due to its limited frame of reference and point of view.
Wenzel displays true skill in navigating the delicate balancing act between writing a fast-paced story that appeals to impatient children, and creating a book that those same children will want to return to over and over again, and find new stories and details in each time. Wenzel accomplishes this in part by filling more white space with each subsequent page spread. While Wenzel’s economical use of text could help to pick up the reading pace, there’s so much to see on each page that it’s tough to make this a truly quick read. And really, why rush something so fun and lovely?
The art: let’s talk about it. Wenzel uses a variety of mediums, both physical and virtual, and the only thing I have to say about all of them is that they blend so well that this book feels all of a piece. The outdoors is depicted in full color, and indoors and Inside Cat’s imaginings are pastel-light outlines on a white background. There’s lots of detail, but much of it can be pushed to the background to consider on a 2nd, or 5th, or 500th re-read. Inside Cat’s eyes are the feature that stand out the most, echoing the importance of the visual to the cat’s experience and knowledge. I could go on… but by this point I hope you’ve realized you should go on and buy or borrow it yourself to enjoy what is truly a fun time.
In all, Inside Cat is both an exploration and a thought- and story-starter. It will have young readers and adults alike creating new adventures for Inside Cat, and wondering, wandering, gazing, and gaping at the world in a whole new way.
Recommended for: small children with big imaginations (little ones who liked Not A Box and other books that foster creative thinking will get a kick out of this!), fans of books with a twist at the end, and anyone who appreciates detailed illustrations, humor, and text working in harmony to create exceptional picture books.
Inside Cat will be available from Chronicle Books on October 12, 2021.
Fine print: I received an e-ARC from the publisher for review consideration. I did not receive any compensation for this post.
