Big Cat, Little Cat

When a tiny kitten is introduced into the life of a solitary older cat, the older cat becomes a mentor to the younger one, who eventually grows up and becomes the inseparable companion of his erstwhile teacher. When Big Cat grows old and eventually dies, Little Cat is, together with his human family, left desolate. Until the day that a tiny kitten is introduced into his life, and he finds himself moving from the role of Little Cat to that of Big Cat...

A spare and poignant tale is paired with simple but immensely powerful illustrations in Big Cat, Little Cat, which explores the cycle of life, death and new life through the story of three felines, all of whom live in the same city apartment. The text is rather plain, full of declarative show more sentences - "There was a cat," it begins - but is all the more moving for its simplicity. The narrator, having told us that Big Cat has grown old, gone away, and not come back, declares "And that was hard," an understatement that packs quite an emotional punch. The artwork, done mostly in black and white, with a few pages containing a sepia background, is stark but expressive. There is so much white space on the page - and isn't it refreshing to see an artist who isn't afraid of blank space?! - that the figures of the cats stand out all the more, making every detail more visible, more endearing, more powerful. A beautiful little book, Big Cat, Little Cat is one I would recommend to anyone looking for children's stories about companionship, love, loss, and healing. show less

Story about two cats at the beginning. One is a big cat and one is a little cat. The big cat shows the little cat everything it needs to know about life and they have a great time! One day the big cat "goes away" and never comes back. It was hard on everyone. One day a little cat comes into the family. And the cycle starts again.

I liked this book, but it was so sad! I'm not sure if I could read this to a younger class without them getting sad or scared. And honestly I might get sad reading it to them! I think this is a really important book that handles loss very well, but I'm not sure if I would choose to read it to my class.

This book truly touched my heart. In this story, the author, Elisha Cooper, tells the all-too-familiar tale of life and death..and seasons. The story has a cat who is introduced to a younger, newer cat. The older cat shares its wisdom and habits, and helps the young cat along in life. He passes on everything that he knows. When the older cat's time comes and he passes away, the younger cat is now older, and introduced to his very own young, new cat. He then lives the rest of his life under a very different role. His job in life is now to teach the new, young cat all that he knows. Life comes and goes, as do people and things, but this story gently introduces the loss of those important things and people, and the simple and real fact show more that you will always have the memories and things that you were taught to pass along to newer (generations, pets, people, etc.). show less

I'm a sucker for cat stories, and this one pleased me very much. A big cat lived alone until a kitten entered the household. The big cat mentored the smaller cat. They were playmates for life until the older cat left and did not return. Then the cycle continues with the once younger cat mentoring a new addition. The black and white illustrations reminded me of a cat story I owned as a child entitled Rich Cat, Poor Cat. While my book may have had a little more color and grayscale to it, the illustrations were sparse, just like this one. The simplicity of the illustrations is effective. It's deserving of its Caldecott honor.

So simple, but so perfect! A cat lives alone until a new kitten moves into the house. Big cat shows little cat "when to eat, when to drink, where to go, how to be, when to rest," and the cats live full, happy days together. Years go by, "until the older cat got older and one day he had to go...and he didn't come back. And that was hard." Soon after, a new cat comes and the cycle begins again, with the little cat becoming the big cat and teaching the other "when to eat, when to drink, where to go, how to be, when to rest." I don't know how good of a choice this is for teaching coping skills to children. There are no people in the book and only inferences made from the illustrations tell us that these cats were family pets. Either way, it show more is a good way to introduce the concept of death to very young children. Warning: it may make you cry. show less

This spare, black and white story tells of a lonely cat whose life is changed when a kitten enters the home. The older cat teaches the younger cat how to be a cat, and the two are inseparable until the day that the older cat leaves and doesn't return. Any reader who has ever loved and lost a pet will relate to this story. The drawings are a little too sparse for my taste. Some pages look enough like a coloring book that parents, teachers, librarians, etc. might want to make sure that the crayons are put away before pulling this book out.

A big white cat lives alone until a new black kitten appears. The cat teaches the kitten "what to do, when to eat, when to drink, where to go [litterbox], how to be, when to rest." But the white cat "got older and one day he had to go...and he didn't come back. And that was hard." The black cat sits alone on the page, in a gray circle on a white background. But soon, a new cat comes - a little white kitten.

A gentle way to introduce the concept of the death of a pet (although not all pets will be "replaced").
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Re-read August 2024
Elisha Cooper special storytime at the Carle Museum