Wenzel has an exuberantly humorous style, and here his ebullience is on full display, along with a marvelous dash of adventure and experimentation. But what might the cat see in a reflecting pool of water? What could a cat look like, to a cat? The repeated phrase "the cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws" brings the reader back to the central character, but for a moment at each page turn, the reader is transported into something else: an insect, a wild animal, a flying creature, a burrowing one. As the cat ambles, a dog sees a slinking, sly creature a child sees a rounded, soft-furred pet a goldfish sees a blurry pair of glowing eyes a mouse sees danger incarnate. It's a delightful experience in multiple perspectives and changing points of view. Wenzel uses colored pencils and pastels, charcoal and acrylic paint to create a layered, funny and fascinating visual lesson in seeing and interpreting. But what an experience the walk becomes through Brendan Wenzel's virtuoso, expressionistic art in They All Saw a Cat (Chronicle, Ages 3-6). A cat takes a walk, and as it does, other creatures take notice.
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