Cat's Colors

Cat's Colors
by Jane Cabrera

Summary
This book chronicles a cat, named Cat, when he tries to get readers to guess his favorite color. He asks about green first, noting that it is the color of the grass. Next he asks about pink, the petals of his favorite flowers. Black is explained as the color of the night. Each set of pages is dominated by that color, and the cat is present as well as another animal (cow, bee, bat etc). On the red page the cat is sleeping by the fire in a pose most children recognize as a sleeping kitten. Yellow is described as the sand on the beach. As cats usually get their claws stuck on many things, the purple page is used to address purple yarn. Brown is the color of the earth, where the cat dig holes among worms. Blue is the sky, and white are the clouds. The cat says his favorite color is orange because it is the color of his mother.




Discussion
For children, this book is very helpful when working on color recognition. It can also be used when talking about animals. Since Cat turns out to be a kitten, parents can discuss with their children how Cat is just like them, because cats snuggle just like humans snuggle. Parents can also address the different animals present on each page, and ask their children if they know a bee, a cow, a mouse etc. These animals are seen in a naturally comfortable place for them, so the parents are able to acknowledge an animal's natural habitat. This book could be used for read aloud, but would be much better in a family setting. It should be read to younger children to establish acknowledgment of colors and animals. There is no rhyming in the book, but the bright pages are very attractive to the younger eye.



Cabrera, J. (1997). Cat's Colors. New York: Dial.