15 Memorable Picture Books About Cats

Embrace your inner feline, curl up with a good book and share these memorable picture books about cats with your kiddos. Purring is optional.

Can anything beat the purring and soft fur of a kitty cat? Thousands of kids (and adults) will tell you absolutely not! 

Pete the Cat has been a long favorite of my boys since we received it as a gift.

Be sure to check out the CD version. The tune is incredibly catchy!

Hondo & Fabian is a sweet tale that my kiddos love.

And Splat the Cat… well, this cat is humorous and sweet at the same time. We love every story with Splat.

You can find these picture books about cats at your local library or purchase through the affiliate links provided for your convenience.

15 Memorable Picture Books about Cats

By far, my boys’ favorite books about cats have to be the Pete the Cat series.

I remember when one of my kids received it for a birthday present. Hmmm. Cute enough.

And then we found the CD that goes with it… and that was it.

My boys were hooked.

We even brought it into preschool and suddenly moms were asking if I knew anything about this song about colors. Ha!

Another series my boys were absolutely hooked on were the Splat the Cat Storybook Collection.

What an absolutely lovable little dude!

Mr. Wuffles! (Caldecott Medal – Honors): A cat named Mr. Wuffles doesn’t care about toy mice or toy goldfish. He’s much more interested in playing with a little spaceship full of actual aliens—but the ship wasn’t designed for this kind of rough treatment. Between motion sickness and damaged equipment, the aliens are in deep trouble. When the space visitors dodge the cat and take shelter behind the radiator to repair the damage, they make a host of insect friends. The result? A humorous exploration of cooperation between aliens and insects, and of the universal nature of communication involving symbols, “cave” paintings, and gestures of friendship.

Little Beauty: Once there was a very special gorilla who had almost everything he needed. There was only one thing he didn’t have: a friend. With no other gorillas at the zoo, the keepers try something new. Will the gigantic ape strike a bond with another sort of creature, one as tiny and innocent as a kitten? Sparked by the story of a real gorilla who learned to sign, Little Beauty is a celebration of a most surprising friendship.

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes: Pete the Cat goes walking down the street wearing his brand new white shoes. Along the way, his shoes change from white to red to blue to brown to WET as he steps in piles of strawberries, blueberries, and other big messes! But no matter what color his shoes are, Pete keeps movin’ and groovin’ and singing his song…because it’s all good. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes asks the reader questions about the colors of different foods and objects.

Hondo and Fabian: A dog named Hondo and his friend Fred are going to the beach for a day of excitement. Fabian the cat is left behind at home to play with the baby. Who will cause more trouble? And who will have more fun?

Splat the Cat Storybook Collection:This storybook collection will have Splat the Cat fans laughing out loud at his hilarious antics! From visiting the aquarium to camping out, these six Splat tales are funnier than ever—and now for the first time, they’re available together in a collection.

Fuddles: Fuddles is a fat, lazy housecat who’s never been in the Great Outdoors. One day, his humans leave the door open a crack and Fuddles seizes the chance to slip out, but things aren’t quite as he expected. In a series of hilarious mishaps, including a run-in with the neighborhood dog, he realizes that life as he’d known it was actually pretty good. Told with deadpan humor and charming art, Fuddles is sure to steal readers’ hearts.

Raj the Bookstore Tiger: Being a bookstore tiger is hard work. There’s much patrolling, and a lot of sitting in laps at story hour, and then there’s sleeping in the window display. But Raj is up to the task. He is fierce and proud—until Snowball comes along. The new cat in the bookstore informs Raj that he’s just a marmalade kitty-cat. Times get tough, then, for the bookstore tiger. But bookstore and Raj owner Felicity, with the help of poet William Blake, knows how to fix things. In turn, with a very special book, Raj is able to fix things with Snowball.

Wabi Sabi: Wabi Sabi, a little cat in Kyoto, Japan, had never thought much about her name until friends visiting from another land asked her owner what it meant.

I Must Have Bobo!: When Willy woke up there was trouble. Where was Bobo? Willy needs Bobo. But, Earl the cat likes Bobo, too. A favorite toy is hard to share…even when it’s a sock monkey. With sparse text and a modern-nostalgic vibe, this retro-fun book about friends (sock monkeys) and frenemies (devious cats) is an ode to favorite toys everywhere.

Skippyjon Jones: Skippyjon Jones is no ordinary kitten. Oh, no. . . .He’s actually El Skippito, a great sword-fighter ready to battle banditos the world over! With a little imagination and a whole lot of fun, this frisky cat dons a mask and cape and takes on a bad bumble-beeto to save the day. And along the way, he’ll be sure to steal young reader’s hearts, yes indeed-o!

Chester: Chester is more than a picture book. It is a story told, and retold, by dueling author-illustrators. Melanie Watt starts out with the story of a mouse in a house. Then Melanie’s cat, Chester, sends the mouse packing and proceeds to cover the pages with rewrites from his red marker, and the gloves are off. Melanie and her mouse won’t take Chester’s antics lying down. And Chester is obviously a creative powerhouse with confidence to spare. Where will this war of the picture-book makers lead? Is it a one-way ticket to Chesterville, or will Melanie get her mouse production off the ground?

Cat Jumped In!: When someone leaves the kitchen window open, Cat jumps in! So begins the tale of an outdoor cat who finds his way into a tidy house, wreaking havoc at every turn. That is, until he finds his way in once more–this time into someone’s heart. Beautiful, bright watercolors from Caldecott-winning illustrator Emily Arnold McCully nearly spring off the page, buoyed by a playful text that highlights simple prepositions.

Cat the Cat, Who Is That? (Cat the Cat Series): Cat the Cat sure likes her friends. You will too! Join this spunky feline as she introduces the very youngest readers to her world, where a surprise is waiting in every book!

Kitten’s First Full Moon Board Book: It is Kitten’s first full moon, and when she sees it she thinks it is a bowl of milk in the sky. And she wants it. Does she get it? Well, no . . . and yes. What a night! The nationally bestselling picture book about a kitten, the moon, and a bowl of milk, written by the celebrated author and illustrator Kevin Henkes, was awarded a Caldecott Medal.

Bad Kitty’s Very Bad Boxed Set Number 1: Bad Kitty Gets a Bath, Happy Birthday Bad Kitty, Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray: Hack up those fur balls, sharpen those claws because we’ve got three Bad Kitty adventures coming your way! In this compilation, get a terrific grouping of Bad Kitty’s adventures.

Like these picture books about cats? Find even more engaging book lists for kids with more than 100 book-themed reading lists!

Extend the learning! Try out these educational affiliate links to use at home or at school:

• Pet Theme Literacy
• Pet Theme Math Activities
• Extended list of Memorable Picture Books About Cats