My Cat Looks Like My Dad by Thao Lam
Family is what you make it.
 | Meet dad. Meet the family cat. Dad and cat are alike in many ways. Both have fluffy yellow hair, enjoy a tasty meal followed by a nap, even have similar fears. They make a great pair. But that’s just the beginning. The real story on these pages goes beyond a charming tale of a man and his cat. Readers wonder about the family member narrating the story. Who can it be? The storyteller's identity is discovered by carefully examining the illustrations. Observant readers will recognize that there is more to this family than a man and his cat. There will come an "ah ha" moment when it is obvious that the narrator i.e. additional family member is a bird! That's right. The bird refers to its sibling as "my cat." Clever. Clever indeed. The complete family portrait with dad, mom, cat, and bird graces the final page. |
Thao Lam's cut paper collages are a delight. The title page, featuring a strip of photobooth headshots of feline and human playing around with spectacles is a great introduction to the characters. Her illustrations poke fun at quintessential stereotypes such as discarded socks on the floor and milk mustaches. The cat's facial expressions are priceless!
 Greeting the day with graceful tai chi. |  Crooning tunes at the keyboard. |  Snoozing: Nap time is lap time. |
My Cat Looks Like My Dad offers the subtle message that families come in all shapes and sizes and can consist on a variety of members. Readers will also need to put aside the assumptions that only certain individuals, or species, can cohabit peacefully.
Bonus
| Meet Thao Lam and learn about the inspiration for this book. View her creation process. Share the book and video with students. An interesting extension activity would be to provide kids with a selection of patterned papers and other art materials. Then invite them to create a portrait collage of their own family. | |
Electronic copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: April 15, 2019 Publisher: Owlkids ISBN: 978-1771473514
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