They All Saw A Cat

           

They All Saw A Cat

by: Brenden Wenzel

Published: 2016

2017 Caldecott Honors Book

They All Saw a Cat is a picture book that shows readers what a cat looks like through different lenses. Using illustrations, Wenzel was able to create a world where the reader experiences cats from all different points of view, through the eyes of many other animals. 

Response & Visual Literacy

Example of how a cat would appear from the perception of a bee

The illustrations within this book are used to demonstrate different perspectives and show readers what it is like to see the world, or see cats, through a different lens. This book is an effective teaching tool for multiple purposes. First, this book is an effective tool for teaching students about appearance, and how each eye sees differently. For example, in the image above, Wenzel illustrates how a cat would appear through the eyes of a bee. As students progress through this book, they are able to experience cats through the lens of all different species and eyes. This concept could stem a lesson, or cross-curricular project where students have to research how different animals see, and create a visual perception of their own. In terms of visual literacy, this book embodies the concept that stories are told through the text and illustrations together. In this book, the illustrations and text have a strong relationship. As described by Louis and Serchenynski, the pictures in this book have a reciprocal relationship to the text in this story. This means that the images coincide with the text, but they add more detail and purpose to the book, as well as provides more information and meaning. The illustrations hold an underlying meaning as well as inform the reader of a new perspective, however, they do not alter or change the message or contradict the text. 

The final page of the book

The image to the left depicts the final page of the book. On this page, Wenzel combines all of the different perspectives explored through the text and the different depictions of cats readers have encountered. This page holds an important takeaway, that comes from the illustration piece. In the classroom, teachers can utilize this page to teach two important lessons. First, teachers can point out that from just the text, it is clear that all creatures saw the cat, but once a reader takes the illustration into account, it is evident that they all see the same creature differently. This can also lead to a life lesson that students can take away. Even though each creature saw the cat through their own lens, the cat is still the same cat. This can guide a conversation about how everyone may view a person differently, but they are still the same, and still a human, underneath.