Purr-fect Cat Books for Kids
A considerable list of Cat Books for Kids by Dr. Rebecca Rapport, who has a PHD in Children’s Literature, and two Grandsons with two cats! It begins with books for babies and ends with favorites for older elementary. Purr-fect for shopping or a trip to the library. Bookshop links are included, and Amazon links for the hard-to-finds. Grandycamp is a Bookshop affiliate and will earn a small percentage from your purchase. Some books you will only find in the library, and we also love it when you choose indies like The Red Balloon Bookshop.
Natalie Nelson, CAT'S FIRST BABY: Suddenly there's a new member of the family for cat to get to know. (board book)
Nikki McClure, HOW TO BE A CAT: So much for a kitten to learn! (board book)
Mo Willems, CAT THE CAT series: Simple and repetitive text humorously teaches concepts like what a cat, mouse and duck are. (board book)
Steve Light, UP CAT DOWN CAT: Striking black and white cats teach opposites in a uniquely cat way. (board book)
Sandra Boynton, TICKLE TIME!: Based on Boynton's song of the same name, frolicking cats ensure some giggles. (board book)
Eric Carle, HAVE YOU SEEN MY CAT?: There are so many different kinds of cats. Where could the boy's cat be? (board book)
Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampon, KITTY CAT, KITTY CAT, ARE YOU WAKING UP?: Rhyming antics will be familiar to young children. (series)
Marion Dane Bauer, IF YOU WERE BORN A KITTEN: Beautifully celebrates the miracle of birth with twelve creatures, including the most precious baby of all.
David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka, SEE THE DOG: THREE STORIES ABOUT A CAT: How difficult could it be for a cat to stand in for a dog in this humorous book?; and THIS IS NOT A CAT!: A teacher mouse wants her students to learn what is and is not a cat. Look out!
Mem Fox, CAT DOG: Cat and dog have learned to coexist but what happens when a mouse gets in the house?!
Matthew Van Fleet, CAT: There are so many closeup photos of so many cats in this interactive, descriptive book.
Loren Long, OTIS AND THE KITTENS: Children already familiar with Otis the farm tractor will be enthralled by this doubly heroic story.
Kevin Henkes, KITTEN'S FIRST FULL MOON: Kitten is sure that the moon is actually a bowl of milk that she must have.
Rosemary Wells, YOKO: A young Japanese cat is teased about the food she brings to school for lunch.; and KIT AND KABOODLE: Well behaved sibling cats are repeatedly harried by a mouse's mischief.
David Weisner, MR. WUFFLES!: Sci Fi story of a very particular cat who usually isn't that interested in the toys he's given until something new arrives.
Brendan Wenzel, THEY ALL SAW A CAT: Children will have plenty of questions after reading this clever story about the influence of perspective. What does the cat really look like?
Beatrix Potter, THE TALE OF TOM KITTEN: A clean face and clean clothes; what could go wrong when a kitten goes outside?; and THE TALE OF THE PIE AND THE PATTYPAN: The cat invites her friend the dog for tea, but she worries what ingredients will go into the pie. Certainly not a mouse!
Cynthia Rylant, MR. PUTTER AND TABBY series: An older man and his cat are inseparable, sharing many adventures together.
Elisha Cooper, BIG CAT LITTLE CAT: A loving, poignant story of the relationship of an older and younger cat from beginning to end.
Karla Kuskin, SO, WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE A CAT?: Cat poetically answers the boy's questions, using just-right tone and humor. ; and THE UPSTAIRS CAT: Two cats who share a house are constantly in conflict with each other with an important lesson to be learned. (poetry)
Karen Ritz, WINDOWS WITH BIRDS: The challenges of moving and adjusting to a new home are explored through the experiences of a cat and his boy.
Kathi Appelt, MAX ATTACKS: Max is always ready to pounce and trounce but is fortunately constantly distracted from attacking the fish.
Anthony Browne, LITTLE BEAUTY: The touching story of the friendship between a gorilla and a kitten based on the true story of Koko and All Ball.
Sophie Blackall, NEGATIVE CAT: A young boy finally gets the cat of his dreams even though the rest of the family isn't so sure about him.
Melanie Watt, CHESTER: Creatively persistent Chester the cat takes up his red marker and tells a very different story than Melanie intended.
Gary Soto, CHATO'S KITCHEN: A witty twist keeps the new mice next door from becoming Chato the cat's main course!
Wanda Gag, MILLIONS OF CATS: In this classic about a lonely old man and his wife, we see how his quest to find the perfect cat leads to an invasion of mythic proportions.
Lore Segal, THE STORY OF MRS. LOVEWRIGHT AND PURRLESS HER CAT: All Mrs. Lovewright wants is to be warm and cozy with her cat. Purrly has other ideas!
Alyssa Satin Capucilli, MRS. McTATS AND HER HOUSEFUL OF CATS: Mrs.McTats and her cat Abner are content until cats and more cats show up at her door in this alphabet book with a surprise ending.
David Cali, I HATE MY CATS (A LOVE STORY): A humorous and truthful exploration of all that is good and not so good about having cats as pets.
Joyce Sidman, MEOW RUFF: A STORY IN CONCRETE POETRY: A dog, an abandoned cat and a storm make for an interesting poetic story to solve.
Nancy Larrick, CATS ARE CATS (poetry): A definitive collection of cat poems with stunning Ed Young illustrations.
Angela Rixon, THE ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CATS: Everything you want to know about so many breeds of cats.
Mark Reibstein and Ed Young, WABI SABI: A Kyoto, Japan cat sets out to see what her name means in this lovely story about simple beauty told in prose and haiku.
Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO: A heroic true story of how a man saves abandoned cats during war in Syria.
Beverly Cleary, SOCKS: When a new baby arrives, Socks the beloved cat feels neglected. Hilarity ensues!
Geri LeRoy and Karen Ritz, TAXI CAT AND HUEY: Huey the dog leads the ideal sedate life until a new kitten joins the family.
Ursula LeGuin, CATWINGS series: Classic fantasies of four kittens who are born with wings and use flight to their advantage.
Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffy and Laurie Myers, CAT DIARIES: A collection of entertaining stories as told by a variety of cats at the annual MEOW Society convention.
-Dr. Rebecca Rapport, retired Children’s Literature Professor, University of Minnesota, former editor of New Books for Young Readers, practiced with many Grand Nieces and Nephews before Grandson, Damien, and his almost-here little brother, who will also have two cats!