While cats may come in second to dogs in terms of popularity, they are beautiful, elegant, loving animals, and they make great companions. And, as they do with dogs, children’s authors love to write about them. Here are six cat-filled picture books that are delightful. Even if you don’t have a cat, you’ll love reading and sharing these clever books.

“Lost” by Bob Staake is mostly about a girl who loses her cat, although there is also a dog, a bird, and —believe it or not — a giraffe! There is no text in this beautifully conceived picture book with its low key illustrations, stylized trees, and simple backgrounds. The first hint that is cleverly provided (and which I missed when first reading the book) is on the title pages, where we see the girl looking out her window at three other people on the street who all seem confused. Or as if they are looking for something. The illustrations show the little girl calling for her cat and looking all over the house for it. Then she sees the back door open. But her cat is nowhere to be found. So she does exactly the right thing. She makes posters clearly showing her bright red missing cat, with the word “LOST” in large letters at the top. She posts them everywhere, and when she talks to the postman, he shows her a picture of his green bird and explains how the bird escaped from his cage and is lost. The girl continues passing out posters of her cat and meets an older lady who shows her a picture of her blue dog. We see in the next illustration that the dog sneaked under her fence and is now…lost. And finally, as she is putting up a poster in the grocery store, a man sadly shares a picture of his yellow giraffe, who jumped over his fence and is now, also, lost. Needless to say, there is a very happy ending, and posters play a huge role in the saving of all the lost animals. So not only is this a charming picture book which will encourage the children to tell the story themselves from the illustrations, it’s a real life lesson! Posters about missing (and found) animals DO save lives! I love this one. (Anne Schwartz Books/ Random House Kids)

“I Have Three Cats” by Michelle Sumovich and Laura Park is the touching story of a stray cat who needs a home and a girl with three cats who definitely does not need another cat. The first person narrator explains that she has three cats, Big, Little, and Middle, and they love to lounge in the backyard. But there’s a new cat interrupting their enjoyment of the summer afternoon. A loud, annoying cat. This new cat is howling and crying and following the girl, whose mother worries that the visitor might have rabies. She comes at mealtime and cries. Her mother says not to feed her. But the girl wonders who is feeding the cat. And when she brings a dead mouse and lays it at the doorstep, the girl wonders if maybe a little food would stop the “gifts.” The poster the girl is creating goes from “FOUND! Terrible Cat” to “FOUND! Terribly hungry cat.” The cat gets fed. When her mother asks if she’s fed her, the girl changes the subject. Winter comes, and the girl makes a cozy bed for kitty on the porch. And by springtime, there’s a perfectly sweet ending. “I have four cats,” says our narrator. If I were reading this to kids, I’d ask them what they would do in this situation. But I have to say, while I love this book, I’d encourage them to reach out to rescues before a year has gone by. It could start a great discussion about rescue and how to help homeless animals. (Dial Books for Young Readers)

“Cats on Cats on Cats” is Maddie Frost’s charming story of a misunderstanding that ends up with lots of cats, perhaps—dare I say it—too many cats! Granny and Beatrix have a wonderful time together. Every weekend, Beatrix visits, and they do special things together like shopping, buying donuts, and going to the movies. But Beatrix feels that Granny is sad when she leaves, and she’s sure Granny is lonely. So when she next visits, she brings Granny a surprise. A cat! Because all grannies should have cats, right? But when Granny sneezes immediately, we wonder about the wisdom of this gift. But Granny puts a brave face on and realizes that Beatrix must have wanted a cat. They do everything together now, with the cat. In fact, Beatrix seems so happy that Granny decides she must want more cats. This hilarious story will naturally lead to a discussion about not surprising anyone (especially with live animals!) and having honest conversations with others—no assumptions! Adorable illustrations and a clever — and humane — ending make this a charming choice for animal lovers. (Viking) Note: this title will be released on October 21, 2025, and is available for preorder.

An adorable picture book told in iambic pentameter is a pleasure to read and delightful to listen to. “Witch Cat” is about Pippin, a black cat with emerald green eyes, who has been a witch’s companion his whole life. But one year, after the annual party the witch throws for the whole town, Pippin gets restless. “He so loved his witch but he had a small itch… ‘There’s a whole wide world I could see! Just think of the places, and so many faces—Oh! Which kind of cat could I be?'” And we watch as Pippin explores the world and the many kinds of cat he could be, but unsurprisingly, he finds that back with his witch is just where he wants to be. This might be one of those books that kids want to hear over and over and over again. But it’s so fun reading it out loud that you won’t mind a bit! Simple but colorful illustrations make this a pleasure to see as well as read. (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

“Cats Love Books, Too” by Maria Coco highlights her wonderfully simple illustrations. She uses blocks of color with occasional patterns to draw the eye, and the minimal text matches it perfectly. Some of the art reminds me of Marimekko fabric with its wonderfully vivid colors. So why do cats love books? Is it the scratchiness of the covers? (Oh, no! The cat is scratching the book!) Or because they relate to the characters? (While the cats have happy faces on other pages, on this page their grumpy faces match the grumpy faces of the kids in the book that the girl is reading.) We see a cat being adopted, reading in a tent with a child, lying on a boy’s lap as they read on top of a magically huge flower. There’s a lot of purple, yellow, and red, and the repeated color scheme is very pleasing. I love the rowboat in the purple cloud with the cat leaning over and playing with the red and yellow fish. It’s all about imagination and the love of books. And cats. What could be better? Also get the companion book, “Dogs Love Books, Too.” (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

This last picture book, “Cats in Construction Hats,” by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Leeza Hernandez is the perfect book for beginning readers. True story: I was teaching my granddaughter the “at” words like cat, hat, sat, rat. I saw this book on my coffee table in the pile of picture books to review, so I started reading it with her. It was PERFECT! While the cats are constructing and pouring concrete and moving bricks, the descriptive text consists of four words. A color, and a word that rhymes with “at.” Like “Yellow cat. Green hat.” And on that page is a yellow cat wearing a green hat. On the next page is “Green cat. Orange hat.” And the cat is, indeed, green with an orange hat. And then the driver of the concrete mixer says, “Pour that.” So I read the first word and had my granddaughter read the second word. It worked. She was reading! (Random House Kids)

Please note: This review is based on the books provided by the publishers for review purposes.