#blogbookaday: I Am a Cat

Summary:  “A simple house cat named Simon encounters some bigger cats: Lion, Puma, Panther, Tiger, and Cheetah. Each of the big cats has something to say about Simon not being “cat” enough. According to them, he just doesn’t measure up. He doesn’t have Lion’s mane or Cheetah’s spots. He doesn’t sleep in trees like Panther or climb mountains like Puma. He’s small and fuzzy, not big and strong. But ultimately, Simon shows the big cats that he’s just like them . . . only smaller.

A celebration of both individuality and community, I Am a Cat is a strong debut that shows we’re all more alike than we think . . . if we look closely enough.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Review: A house cat, named Simon, must convince some much larger cats, that he too is a cat. The big cats all describe something that makes them a cat and Simon shows them all that they are all different and all the same.

Personal Reaction: I loved this story of celebrating our differences and more importantly our similarities. Simon has all the features of a cat, he’s just a bit smaller. I really liked that all the big cats gave specific examples of what made them cats, that wasn’t similar to other cats until Simon pointed out these differences. I think this would be a great title share in a classroom to celebrate student differences and to create a community of learning and a celebration of similarities as well. This story can be the start of a great discussion in a science class as well – when learning about genus and species.

Title: I Am a Cat
Author: Galia Bernstein
Illustrator: Galia Bernstein
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Publication Date: February 6, 2018

This is a new idea I’m trying on my blog this year that was inspired by @donalynbooks and @heisereads – to provide a brief review of a picture book every day of 2018. You’ll get a brief summary of the story, a review of the content, illustrations and theme, my personal reaction to the book and all the pertinent publication information! Enjoy!