Cat the Cat, Who Is That?

Excellent book for beginning readers!

This is a very simple story. There is bold text in which, I assume, the reader asks "Cat the Cat, who is that?" (There is another creature on the facing page.) On the next page, again in bold letters, the reply is given. The reply always starts with "It's..." All the creatures have a name that echos Cat the Cat. For example there is Fish the Fish and Duck the Duck. Toward the end there is a new creature, which does not resemble any animal. It's kind of in the monster/ alien realm- but not scary. Cat the Cat makes friends with it. That's all there is to this story. I bought this book for my twin 4 year olds who are starting to catch on to reading. Most emergent reader books are a little too advanced for them as they are learning. While my kids know a handful of sight words, they get frustrated when they have to sound out most of the book. This book fills in the gap between knowing the sound letters make and first reader books. The simple words and repeatative structure have helped to foster confidence in my young readers. I do wish the author or editor would have chosen to eliminate the contraction "it's" as this seems to be an unnecessary layer of complexity at this age. Others have stated they read it to their very young kids. I am sure it would be great for that, but I am glad I found this book as my kids are learning to read. All of that being said, if the child can read, this would be too simple. I would recommend Elephant and Piggie. While it's true that Cat the Cat might not be as memorable as Mr. Willams' other characters (Pigeon, Elephant Gerald, and Piggie), this character serves a purpose as a stepping stone for emergent readers. Read more