There Are Cats In This Book

It's really rare to find a children's picture book that speaks directly to the child. I don't mean that figuratively: I mean that the text uses the second person. There Are Cats In This Book, by Vivianne Schwarz, begins with one of those promised cats asking, "Are you nice?" The page cannot be turned until your child replies.

The book is deceptively simple: leafing through it, with its flaps, bright colours and simple sentences, you might think it was most suitable for a two-year-old. But I remember picking it up when my daughter was two at the local library: she showed little interest. Revisiting at aged four, she finds it hilarious - and can almost read the sentences herself.

Should your child also fall hard for Andre, Moonpie and Tiny, the three eponymous heroes, the great news is that Schwarz keeps a blog where the real-life cats these loose-lined characters were based on can be seen. You can even download the pattern to knit your own cats! Find out more about Schwarz's other work - on her own website, too.

Find There Are Cats in This Book at Amazon.