Cats and Us: A Ten-Thousand-Year Fascination

Cats have always fascinated us!

When human beings first encountered wild cats, they could see things in the dark that our eyes couldn't, and their hunting helped keep pests away. Eventually, they became our companions, and joined us on journeys across the sea to faraway lands. Soon, the whole world became obsessed with cats!

Over the centuries and all around the world, the cat has appeared in myths, legends, superstitions and stories. From the time we first admired cats in ancient Egypt, to the creation of cat cafés in Korea in the present day, cats continue to fascinate and intrigue us. While they allow us to understand some things about them, cats have still managed to retain an aura of mystery even today. Do any of us really know what's going on in their heads?

Based on extensive research, this narrative nonfiction picture book traces the special relationship between humans and these furry felines -- a purr-fect introduction for the youngest of readers to the mysterious world of cats! Includes backmatter with further information on the cat breeds featured in the book. A companion book to Dogs and Us.

Key Text Features

illustrations

facts

further information

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.1

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.2

With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.5

Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.7

With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.2

Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.5

Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.6

Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.9

Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

MARTA PANTALEO is a picture book creator who studied graphic design and photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and illustration at MiMaster in Milan. She has created illustrations for children's books, magazines and international publications that include the New York Times. Her work has been selected and exhibited at the Society of Illustrators of New York, the Shanghai International Children's Book Fair and the Bologna Children's Book Fair exhibition. She lives in Rome, Italy.

YVETTE GHIONE is an editor and translator. Her translations include Who Owns the Clouds? by Mario Brassard and illustrated by Gérard DuBois; Children Around the World by Donata Montanari; and many of Marianne Dubuc's books, including Mr. Postmouse's Rounds and And Then the Seed Grew and Your House, My House. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

DEBBIE BIBO is a literary agent, translator and founder of the Debbie Bibo Agency. Her translations include Dogs and Us by Marta Pantaleo, Petra and Fish and Crab, both by Marianna Coppo, The Forest by Riccardo Bozzi and illustrated by Violeta Lópiz and Valerio Vidali, Detective Mole and The Biggest Mistake, both by Camilla Pintonato. She lives in Milan, Italy.