Annie's Cat is Sad by Heather Smith, illustrated by Karen Obuhanych

When Annie comes home from school, she tries to help her cat Delilah deal with sadness after a bad day. As Annie attempts a hug, a warm drink, exercise, and distraction, we realize that it isn't Delilah the cat who had it bad day — it's Annie. But all the work she does to help Delilah ends up helping Annie, too.

The text is all Annie speaking to Delilah, which makes for a very gentle, intimate read-aloud. Annie's kind words to Delilah are met with silence, but the illustrations show how Delilah responds with calm stares and timid curiosity.

At first, Delilah hides from Annie (something any cat owner can relate to). But when Annie starts crying, Delilah curls up on her and offers comfort. This is the moment that we realize Annie is the one who's sad.

Obuhanych illustrates Annie with an expressive face and dynamic red curls, and Delilah with grey stripes and glarish half-moon eyes. Signs of their friendship are littered throughout the house, from a monogrammed cat tree to photos of the two of them together.

I think Annie's Cat is Sad offers real, concrete steps for dealing with sadness, as well as a comforting read-aloud. It's the story of just an afternoon, but it holds so much in thirty-two pages. I recommend it for animal lovers and kids with big feelings.

Book Info

• Title: Annie's Cat is Sad

• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan

• ISBN: 9781250806840

• Author: Heather Smith

• Illustrator: Karen Obuhanych

• Pub date: June 2022

• Source: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250806840/anniescatissad