Ashley Wolff

I'm annoyed by the description here--saying Roy wins the race because Stella stops to "enjoy the beauty" of the park makes it sound as if that is the point of the book; Stella is the nature lover, while Roy ploddingly ignores nature to win a race. Nope!

This is a charming retelling of The Tortoise and the Hare, and Stella is an overconfident little girl who challenges her younger brother to a race around the pond. The details, especially the sly insinuation of a great many turtles and show more rabbits into the background, are loads of fun. And I love that Roy is a gracious winner. This is great to pair with any more traditional version of the Aesop fable. show less

A family go about their usual evening and nighttime routine in this lovely picture-book, while their nocturnal cat observes the many beauties that they are missing. As the family eat supper, the cat watches the sunset. While the baby of the family is given his bath, the cat plays outside with fireflies. And when bedtime comes for the humans, the cat is busy observing the local wildlife. Until the very end, when the exhausted feline drops off to sleep in the morning, only the cat sees what is show more happening all around...

With a simple text and beautiful artwork - the book alternates between full-page color illustrations of the family, with text on the facing page, and two-page text-less paintings featuring the cat - Only the Cat Saw is a real treat for cat-lovers young and old. Ashley Wolff captures one marmalade kitty's watchful curiosity (and his many poses) perfectly here, while the story emphasizes the nocturnal habits of our feline companions. Recommended to all young cat lovers, who are sure to recognize a few things here! show less

This is dumb, but I dislike the typeface used in this book, and so I just skimmed it and set it aside. Then I saw on Fuse #8 that it might be Caldecott contender, so I picked it up again. The text has a wonderful rhythm and the illustrations are great for young children. It's really a winner, even though I still question the font.

Update: I shared it with my toddler story time group and it was a hit. The kids all covered their eyes at the end and saw "deep, soft black" just like baby bear.

Filled with the warmth of family and simple, daily life, this book shows that there's always something magical happening even when no one is watching.

A family goes through their daily life from evening to the next morning, eating, getting ready for bed and sleeping through the night. While the individual members are busy with their usual activities, the cat witnesses what goes on outside of the house. The wonders of nature are brought to life as the cat alone witnesses each event.

When I show more picked up this one, I was expecting a little more pizzazz, excitement or, at least, catching moments. Instead, this is a very gentle book, which hits upon the beauty of life. The family consists of a father, mother, older sister and a baby brother. They present a wholesome image as they conduct their meals, getting ready for bed, and then try to sleep through the night...which does have a couple very calm interruptions. The images and atmosphere is very loving, which offers the perfect background for the cat as it goes on its own adventure outside and witnesses sunsets, fireflies and other 'magical' moments.

The illustrations are lovely. While the home scenes carry many familiar things and present the family in a wonderful light, the scenes with the cat are simply beautiful. It flows right along with the text, which is perfect for the intended age group and never ways too heavy.

In these pages, it's shown that while we go about our usual lives, many wonderful things are happening, which we don't even notice. It encourages listeners to take occasional pauses and take a peek outdoors to see what they might miss out on otherwise. It's a calming book, great to read before nap time or bed time. While it might not become a favorite, it's one of those books that can easily be picked up, quickly read, and enjoyed. show less