My Wild Cat

PreS-Gr 2–Simler pays tribute to the domestic cat in this ironic picture book. In a translation from the original French, each page describes an attribute of an active and fierce feline, along with factual information to back up these short phrases. This text is contrasted by images of a black cat fully enjoying its lazy domestic life. The digital drawings are impeccable, with miniscule cross-hatched lines creating dimension and light. The titular “wild” cat is a sleek black shorthair with bright yellow eyes. The etching and addition of bits of color on its fur create a sense of shape and movement. Simler gives her words as much breathing room as she gives her illustrations white space all around. Sentences are short and crisp, but contain complex words. She describes cats’ claws as “wonderful little weapons hidden in a velvet holster.” Cat lovers will find familiarity in many of the images: the cat lounging on a book, hiding behind a curtain, and finally, after pages of supine behavior, leaping out in a pounce onto the narrator who is revealed to be a young child.