Awards & Reviews

I am thrilled to announce that Big Cat, Little Kitty has received a Mom's Choice 2011 GOLD award!

Given by the Just For Moms Foundation, this prestigious award is selected by a panel of judges that includes Dr. Twila C. Luggett, the founder of Reading Rainbow, and Julie Aigner-Clark, the creator of Baby Einstein.

The Mom’s Choice Awards is an awards program that recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services. It is known for establishing a benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products, and services.

R E V I E W S 


School Library Journal / Nonfiction / August 1, 2011
"Going through the days of the week in habitats around the world, Cohn introduces a variety of large, wild cats and parallels the behaviors with those of domestic felines. For example, a cheetah rests on a bed of grass on the savannah as “Warthog decides he would feel safer in the big hole he made in the ground.” The next page features a spotted house cat stretched out in front of a window as “Mouse decides he would feel safer in his hole in the baseboard.” Each dramatic spread highlights a cat taking charge of its own domain. The book has been written with discussion prompts and extension activities in mind. Several are included and more are accessible on the publisher’s website. A free 49-page teaching guide will be attractive to teachers. However, the story can be simply enjoyed on its own." 

~ Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY
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Midwest Book Review

"Big Cat, Little Kitty" presents a stunningly illustrated set of pairs of cats to show the relatedness of big cat species to the more familiar and much smaller domestic cat breeds. Big cat species depicted include the lion, tiger, jaguar, bobcat, cheetah, snow leopard and cougar. Many examples of domestic felines are shown in contrast, though they have similar characteristics. At the end of "Big Cat, Little Kitty" there are fun facts for creative minds, plus a map and matching activity for the 7 cats of the world featured, plus Cat True False Questions and Cat Senses and Adaptations. Further teaching activities are available at, www.SylvanDellPublishing.com for children age 5 and up. "Big Cat, Little Kitty" is also available in eBooks with auto-flip and auto-read, and in both English and Spanish.
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This is a really cute and educational picture book. It's appropriate for both boys and girls; the reading level listed is 2.6, I think that's fair. What I like about this book is that there's a lot of educational value to it. The author even had a curator from the Smithsonian Zoo's Great Cats exhibit review the book for accuracy! Aside from the obvious feline theme, the author even snuck in the days of the week and the four seasons.
Seven big cats are featured in their natural habitat with an example of their usual prey (no killing in the book! they all get away). Every other page features a housecat in the same pose as the big cat preceding them. The kitties' passages also echo the big cats' passages, emphasizing the parallels and tangents between wild and domesticated cats.
The art is OK. Not great, but not horrible. I think the writing stands out far more than the illustrations. If I were reading this to a child, the catchphrase used "I am (insert name of cat) and this is MY (insert territory)" begs to be hammed up. Kitties have a lot of attitude, and this book captures that.
After the story, there are 4 pages of cat facts and trivia. First we have a decription of what a cat is and how they are related; like which cats are considered to be "big cats", etc. The next page features a map labeling the homelands of the big cats we have seen in the book. The third page of trivia lists some cat senses and adaptations, and the last page is some cat true and false. I found these bonus pages a pleasant educational surprise!
Come to find out, the author actually designed this book to be a launch pad for educational discussion and further learning. There are several additional resources listed which can be found at the publisher's website. There are teaching activities for home or school, interactive quizzes, and spanish audiobooks.
Overall, I feel this book would be a great addition to any child's or school's library. Especially if you have a cat at home, your child can discover the wonder of the wild animal lurking in little kitty.
Amazon.com review
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"The book Big Cat Little Kitty has been a perfect learning tool for the comparison of big cats and little cats. It's a cute book that is wonderfully illustrated with comparisons like a jaguar living in the jungle to a kitty who lives near a pond. It's really cute. If you have a cat admirer in your family or want to teach more about animals that are wild and domesticated this is a great book for that."
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"This book isn’t only a fun picture book but it’s full of 4 pages of educational activities . . . This is an easy to read book with great illustrations that will have any child interested in the world of animals. I highly recommend this book for classroom reading as it introduces children to counting."

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(click on the link above to read the entire review) 

"The differences between the majestic tiger that patrols the jungles and the striped tabby that patrols the porch become insignificant when they carefully protect their territory. Big Cat, Little Kitty is a clever book from Sylvan Dell Publishing that draws parallels between big cats in their habitats and house cats in their habitats. It's a fun book young children will enjoy and relate to - especially when they recognize their cat's behaviors.

My cat does that! I can hear it now. . .

Young children will enjoy this book. It doesn't need to be reserved for classroom use. Any child growing up with cats will appreciate the paralleling comparisons. Slightly older children will find this educational book full of information - it will help introduce children to wild cats. The ending of this story happens one Sunday night, under a soft summer moon, with a bobcat. All children will enjoy the conclusion of Big Cat, Little Kitty." 

- Patty Side, Epinions.com
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"This lovely book, Big Cat, Little Kitty, introduces youngsters to the days of the week as they travel to seven different habitats to meet wild big cats, which are cleverly compared to domestic cats closer to home. Is a big cat's hunt for food similar to a little kitty's playing with a ball of yarn? Read and find out! The full-color illustrations are rich, creamy, and captivating!

Homeschoolers will love the educational section of this book, which includes activities for comparing and contrasting cat adaptations, matching cats to their habitats, and mapping where cats of the world live. There are also free teacher and student activities at www.SylvanDellPublishing.com , making this a great addition to a unit study on cats or any of the geographic regions where these big cats live. This beautiful book, written for ages 4-9, is available in hardback for $16.95, paperback for $8.95, or even as an e-book with auto-flip, auto-read features for only $7.95.

You will be captivated by this lovely book, which will be a treasured addition to your home library!"   (review by Karen Yuen)
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Katie's (Little Ones) Learning Lounge
The informative nature of this book is sure to peak the interest of children who are cat lovers, while introducing children to different habitats around the world and the different types of cat they may or may not previously have been familiar with. The text is simple and the illustrations provide a great deal of additional detail that will easily engage children in discussion throughout the reading.
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Big Cat, Little Kitty - Written by Scotti Cohn and Illustrated by Susan Detwiler
This book was my favorite. It follows the daily activities of many large cats through a week and compares these activities to a small house cat. The story show the differences between the large and small cats, and the similarities. I found this to be an educational book on the animal kingdom, but also a good book on diversity.
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Queen of the First Grade Jungle
I love the connection Big Cat, Little Kitty makes between the exciting cats of the wild and your everyday house cat! As a strong believer in the power of picture books, I truly think this book is perfect for all elementary grade levels. 
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Book Review: "Big Cat, Little Kitty" (by Myles, 7)
This book was written by Scotti Cohn and illustrated by Susan Detwiler. It's about house cats and other animals that are part of the cat family. What I learned from this book is that there are a lot of differences between cats who live with people and the ones that live in the wild. My favourite part of the book is when the snow cat says to the bunny rabbit, “This is my mountain" and the bunny scurries into his rabbit hole just in time to get away from the snow cat. (And then the snow cat creeps away in the snow.) Another thing I learned from this book is that there are cats that live in many different parts of the world. Also, I found out that many cats have prey. One thing I am happy about is that the cardinal only loses a few feathers in this story. You should know that our family has two cats, Jasper and Asia. That's why I found it so nice to read about other members of the cat family! Thanks for such a great book, Scotti and Susan!
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"This is a really cute and educational picture book. It's appropriate for both boys and girls; the reading level is ages 4-8, I think that's fair. What I like about this book is that there's a lot of educational value to it. The author even had a curator from the Smithsonian Zoo's Great Cats exhibit review the book for accuracy! Aside from the obvious feline theme, the author even snuck in the days of the week and the four seasons. . .Overall, I feel this book would be a great addition to any child's or school's library. Especially if you have a cat at home, your child can discover the wonder of the wild animal lurking in little kitty."


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"With an inventive style, Big Cat, Little Kitty  compares the lives of wild cats and their more domesticated counterparts.  It contains just enough repetition to create a thread between the wild and tame animals, and to engage repetition-loving young readers without driving parents nutty...
We enjoyed the entire book once through.  The attention span required was probably pushing it for our 3 year old, but he still liked it.  Particularly recommended, obviously, for cat lovers.  As with all Sylvan Dell books, the book is beautifully illustrated and contains an educational section in the back (including a "Cats of the World" map matching activity right up the Bibliophile's alley)."
~ Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile / Reviews from a baby bookworm... and his crafty mama

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"In addition to teaching the similarities and differences between the ferocious cats of the wild and house cats, the author also injects a lesson on the days of the week as each two-cat comparison happens on progressive days of the week. The illustrations in this book deserve special mention as they are absolutely stunning and add a tremendous amount to an already impressive book. At the end of the book are several pages of fun facts which include a world map noting where wild cats live, a true/false questionnaire, and how cats have adapted to their surroundings. There are additional resources provided on the publisher’s website.
Quill says: Big Cat, Little Kitty is an excellent book to teach youngsters about wild cats and their domesticated cousins."
~ Feathered Quill Book Reviews
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"Cohn does a superb job paralleling the lives of wild and domesticated cats. She offers an ideal opportunity to discuss or to illustrate with a chart (for older children) how they are similar and how they differ.  The author also naturally incorporates in the text days of the week and times of day, providing a springboard for learning for younger children. The repetitive, pattern text creates a quick familiarity with the action, prompting children to anticipate and participate in future rereading. Both are foundational literacy skills. Finally, the text includes some similes adults can identify and explain. Adult readers can create (and illustrate) similes with their class or children.  Artist Susan Detwiler stunningly illustrates the various habitats—savannah, jungle, snowy mountains, desert, woods, and forests—in vivid color and detail.  Similarly, each domesticated cat is imaginatively shown in a comparable environment or situation. Whether in the wild or in the home, this book depicts big and little kitties alike as magnificent, self-reliant, and poised creatures. Big Cat, Little Kitty is a rollicking pounce around the globe."
~ Books 4 Learning

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"You might be pleased (I hope!) to know that I was comparing my K reading list with one of the teachers for next year and she reads Katy, No Pocket (an oldie, but goodie) for her "K" letter book.  I've decided that Big Cat, Little Kitty will be the perfect fit - as it so clearly shows the C and K sounds being similar.  And, I love to be able to teach the kids the idea of writing a concept book!"
~ Jean Daigneau, Library Aide
St. Patrick's School - Kent, Ohio
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"This is a sweet book with bright pictures and a friendly story. I know my children will enjoy reading this over and over. I love the unobtrusiveness of the teaching of the habitats, the days of the week and the differences between the two kinds of cats!"
~ L. Harris, Just Our Thoughts (blog)
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"It is PERFECT for a mini-lesson on comparing/contrasting. It also has the days of the week, and a map of the world, documenting big and small cats all over (perfect for a social studies research project!). For teachers of older elementary/middle school grades, Scotti Cohn's wonderful word choices would be the perfect anchor text for a mini-lesson in choosing more precise vocabulary!"
~ Brenna Guillo Davis, First Grade Teacher, Riverview Kensett Elementary School

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