''Pretend You're a Cat'' is a 1974 Children's book by Jean Marzollo and illustrators

Jerry Pinkney Jerry Pinkney (December 22, 1939 – October 20, 2021) was an American illustrator and writer of children's literature. Pinkney illustrated over 100 books since 1964, including picture books, nonfiction titles and novels. Pinkney's works addres ...

Marcia Sewall Marcia may refer to: People * Marcia (given name) *James Marcia, Canadian psychologist *Stefano Marcia (born 1993), South African Olympic sailor Other uses * ''Marcia'' (Beccafumi), a c. 1519 painting by Domenico Beccafumi * ''Marcia'' (bivalve ...

. It was originally published in 1974 by

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Harcourt () was an American publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. The company was last based in San Diego, California, with editorial/sales/marketing/rights offices in New York City a ...

and re-illustrated with an revised edition was published by

Dial Books The Dial Press was a publishing house founded in 1923 by Lincoln MacVeagh. The Dial Press shared a building with ''The Dial'' and Scofield Thayer worked with both. The first imprint was issued in 1924. Authors included Elizabeth Bowen, W. R. Bu ...

in 1990., with full color art. It is a collection of 13 poems describing a different animal and inviting the reader to emulate each animal. Both

and

's combine with watercolor, color pencil and drawings, different same as a black-and-white drawings with three colors of blue, pink, and green.

Reception

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'', in a review of ''Pretend You're a Cat'', wrote "Challenging preschoolers to imitate pigs, cows, birds, and other animals, this upbeat picture book will appeal to their imagination and sense of fun. .. Simple in concept and inviting in design, this book will be a popular choice for story hours." and the ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' "With minimal coaching, these delightful, simple rhymes will be easily learned, recited, and acted out." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' called it a "clever concept book" and wrote "The rhymed verses are vivid and straightforward, and Pinkney's inventive watercolor and pencil drawings and quite differently of Marcia Sewall's black and white drawings are as engaging as the characters and animals he portrays." ''Pretend You're a Cat'' has also been reviewed by ''

The Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...

''.

References

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External links

Library holdings of ''Pretend You're a Cat''discussion of ''Pretend You're a Cat''

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is a museum devoted to the art of the picture book and especially the children's book. It is a member of Museums10 and is adjacent to the campus of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. The Carle wa ...

1990 children's books 1990 poetry books 1974 children's books 1974 poetry books American children's books American poetry collections Children's poetry books Dial Press books Picture books by Jerry Pinkney