See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle

What cat? There's only Max the Dog. You must have the wrong book. Wait a minute...there is a cat in this book! 

Thoughts: This book is hilarious! It's short enough to share in storytime, but I think first and second grade students will be equally entertained. I can hear kids asking me to read it again and again. The dog is suitably disgruntled throughout the book. Grumpy characters always appeal to me. Illustrations are colorful and detailed without being busy. I like that the illustration only occupies one page of each two-page spread. See the Cat won the 2021 Giesel Award and the 2020 Cybils Award for Easy Readers. The author's website has a creative drawing sheet, a mini book, and a See the Cat downloadable board game. See the Cat is the first book in a planned three book series. The second book is See the Dog: Three Stories About a Cat and will be published on September 14, 2021. Betsy Bird interviewed David and Mike and revealed the cover of the second book. Read that interview here. David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka have also collaborated on Moo! and This Is Not a Cat!

Themes: Dogs, Cats, Humorous Books, Elementary 

(Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. Candlewick Press, 2020.)