The Cat at Night

The farmer’s cat is lazy. All day long he sleeps on his favourite armchair by the warm stove, rousing only to drink fresh milk or to preen himself luxuriously. What the farmer doesn’t realise is that each and every night, his cat enjoys a secret life of adventure – exploring the mysterious beauty of the darkness with his sharp cat’s eyes. 

As he steps outside the cat is greeted by blackness, and only the silhouettes of shapes can be seen. But, as we turn the page, these outlines are thrown into bright clarity and the reader is shown the world as it would appear through the cat’s night vision. He journeys through recognisable scenes on his way to the town, each time seen first as blocks of darkness before being illuminated on the next page.  

This book plays with colour and form in a fun and interactive way. The silhouettes encourage children to make predictions about the subsequent pages, which often reveal hidden or unexpected details. The black backgrounds make the block colour pages visually striking and this book would lend itself well to art activities inspired by this style.  

As this is set in America, it should be noted that some features and animals are not representative of the UK’s countryside.