They All Saw a Cat

Liltingly narrated by actor John Lithgow, this charming adaptation of the 2016 picture book by author and illustrator Brendan Wenzel features animation by Cha-Pow and music by David Mansfield. The story is simple: a cat with a tinkling bell "walked through the world," strutting his stuff while viewers witness the impression he makes through the eyes of others. A child sees him normally, to a dog he’s an angular strange creature, to a fox the cat looks rather plump, and to a fish and a mouse, the cat looks enormous, vicious, and scary. These alternative perspectives are presented in vignettes employing various colorful art styles: a bee with insect eyes sees the cat as a sort of dot collage, a bird looks down on the cat from an aerial view, a flea peers out from the cat’s hair on its back, and a worm registers the cat’s vibrations from underground. This winning animated short about differing viewpoints nicely captures the vision of this Caldecott Honor Book. Bonus features include a read-along option and a 2017 interview with Wenzel. Highly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)