When is a picture book really art? Always? Or just quite often? And if it is art, is it still a book primarily for small children?
I don’t know the answers to any of those questions. But Jackie Morris is a real artist. No question about that. And her new book I am Cat should be treasured for the sheer magic of her cat pictures.
Jackie is something of a cat lover, and whereas I don’t share her sentiments, I can only love I am Cat. It is so beautiful.
Every page has a new cat, from tabby to tiger and all the rest. With each page (=piece of art) we get to share the thoughts of its cat. About their identity. At the end of the book is a couple of pages of cat facts.
So it’s not a story as such, but I could see this would work, reading to a child. And any child would surely love pictures like these!
A must for cat lovers.
(The book is not officially published yet, but Jackie tells me she is selling them at Art in Action this weekend. And then she has a book launch at Solva Mill on August 8th.)
Looks stunningly beautiful. I’m a fan of Jackie Morris’s beautiful books too, particularly the marvellous poetry anthology she did for Barefoot Books.
I love cats and I love Jackie Morris’s work! Wonderful that there is such a book as this!
I may just have to get that…
Yes, Nick. You cat people need to stick together.