Award-winning creator Jillian Tamaki lovingly explores the bond between a cat and its owner, illustrated in embroidery.
Beautifully illustrated with embroidery and appliqué by Caldecott Honor–winning artist Jillian Tamaki, Young Cat, Old Cat honours the sacred bond between a person and their cat. A young girl charts her relationship with her cat from beginning to end — picking her cat up at the shelter; learning his favourite toys, treats and quirks; celebrating the holidays; cuddling; and growing up together — until the cat starts to move slower and play less. Ultimately, she must say goodbye to her beloved friend and try to move forward, until the day she might be ready to experience the love of a cat once again.
Relatable to anyone who has ever experienced the joy of a pet, Young Cat, Old Cat is a love letter to the idiosyncrasies of cats and how having a furry friend changes one's life forever.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
Award-winning creator Jillian Tamaki lovingly explores the bond between a cat and its owner, illustrated in embroidery.
Beautifully illustrated with embroidery and appliqué by Caldecott Honor–winning artist Jillian Tamaki, Young Cat, Old Cat honours the sacred bond between a person and their cat. A young girl charts her relationship with her cat from beginning to end — picking her cat up at the shelter; learning his favourite toys, treats and quirks; celebrating the holidays; cuddling; and growing up together — until the cat starts to move slower and play less. Ultimately, she must say goodbye to her beloved friend and try to move forward, until the day she might be ready to experience the love of a cat once again.
Relatable to anyone who has ever experienced the joy of a pet, Young Cat, Old Cat is a love letter to the idiosyncrasies of cats and how having a furry friend changes one's life forever.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Sep 22, 2026 |
| Specifications | 40 pages | 8 in x 10.5 in |
| Written By |
JILLIAN TAMAKI is a Canadian cartoonist and illustrator whose art has appeared in comics, picture books and even storyboards for the popular TV show Adventure Time. She has written and illustrated the picture books Our Little Kitchen, winner of the Eisner Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, among other honours, and They Say Blue, winner of the Governor General’s Award. She is a co-creator with her cousin, Mariko Tamaki, of the YA graphic novels This One Summer and Skim. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. |
| Illustrated by |
JILLIAN TAMAKI is a Canadian cartoonist and illustrator whose art has appeared in comics, picture books and even storyboards for the popular TV show Adventure Time. She has written and illustrated the picture books Our Little Kitchen, winner of the Eisner Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, among other honours, and They Say Blue, winner of the Governor General’s Award. She is a co-creator with her cousin, Mariko Tamaki, of the YA graphic novels This One Summer and Skim. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. |
| Written By |
|
JILLIAN TAMAKI is a Canadian cartoonist and illustrator whose art has appeared in comics, picture books and even storyboards for the popular TV show Adventure Time. She has written and illustrated the picture books Our Little Kitchen, winner of the Eisner Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, among other honours, and They Say Blue, winner of the Governor General’s Award. She is a co-creator with her cousin, Mariko Tamaki, of the YA graphic novels This One Summer and Skim. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. |
| Illustrated by |
|
JILLIAN TAMAKI is a Canadian cartoonist and illustrator whose art has appeared in comics, picture books and even storyboards for the popular TV show Adventure Time. She has written and illustrated the picture books Our Little Kitchen, winner of the Eisner Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, among other honours, and They Say Blue, winner of the Governor General’s Award. She is a co-creator with her cousin, Mariko Tamaki, of the YA graphic novels This One Summer and Skim. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. |
| Audience | ages 3 to 6 / grades P to 1 |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4 |