Only the Cat Saw

November 1, 1985
Sure to be applauded, as were A Year of Birds and The Bells of London, Wolff's third book features full-color paintings that extend the narrative by showing details not mentioned in the writing. This is an aspect that allows young readers to make exciting discoveries about Amy's family. The text tells us that Amy is helping her father at suppertime; mother is busy with Sam. The illustrations reveal that Sam is an infant, what Dad and Amy prepare and how they enjoy setting the table. With the family busy, only the cat sees things going on outside: peaceful cows in the meadow, the blazing sunset. Throughout the night, the alert cat keeps his eyes on other wide-awakes like himself while the parents and children sleep. In the morning, though, while the cat snoozes, early-to-rise Amy alone sees the lovely butterfly resting on the window as the sun is rising.

March 15, 2020
An animal's-eye view of a typical night on a farm. As Tessa, a little curly-haired, olive-skinned girl, her father, mother, and baby brother, Sam, progress through an evening, a night, and a morning, their yellow-eyed, marmalade tabby cat sees much that the humans miss. Following each refrain of "only the cat saw..." is a wordless, double-page spread of the cat prowling about: gazing at the sheep from the window; catching fireflies; watching an owl hunt a mouse; and more. After the tabby's active night, the narrative shifts to Tessa's perspective for a satisfying ending. Wolff's spectacularly textured, highly saturated paintings show that cats who wander have lives all their own, independent of their owners. With these new illustrations accompanying a text first published in 1985, Wolff also offers intimate views of this multiracial family that are rarely found in picture books: Readers see Tessa's head and legs as she sits on the toilet at 2 a.m.; Mother nurses Sam in bed while Father sleeps. Since the book opens with Father hanging laundry on the clothesline while holding baby Sam in a baby carrier and ends with Father feeding Sam while Mother cooks breakfast, it seems that both parents take an equal share in raising the children and caring for the house. A beautiful, quiet, indoor-outdoor family story that will dazzle the eye and warm the heart. (Picture book. 3-5)

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