Hat Cat by Troy Wilson illustrated by Eve Coy

An old man lives alone. His only companions are the local squirrels. Each day he puts peanuts on his hat and then he sits still on his back verandah waiting for the squirrels to come. One day, as he lifts up his hat, he finds a young cat. He names the cat Hat, and he takes the cat inside his house. Hat becomes a new member of the family. He is fed and cuddled but he is never allowed outside because the old man is concerned that Hat might eat the squirrels. Then one day the man disappears. Some other people eventually arrive and they feed Hat but he is still trapped inside until the day when the youngest child leaves the door open.

This is a gentle story based on the author's own Grandfather and the way he fed the local squirrels after his retirement. It is also a slightly puzzling story which might lead to an interesting discussion with your young reading companion (aged 6+). Why did the old man leave? What did you think might happen when the door was left open? Can you explain the dilemma Hat faces when he does manage to go outside? How and why does the point of view change on the second last page? Who are the people who come to feed Hat?

Here is an interview with the illustrator Eve Coy. She says: I love adding in the background story through the pictures. For example the empty second chair in the sitting room shows the old man didn’t always live alone and it gently hints at an accepted loneliness without being too upsetting.

A sweet peek at the bond between a man and his cat. Kirkus

Wilson doesn’t need many words to tell the story, not only because he cleverly says a lot by saying a little, but mainly because the illustrations by Eve Coy express so much. The illustrator’s beautiful watercolour images give off a sense of tranquility all while bringing to life the love between and old man and his animal friends—this tale of patience, family, and kindness is the perfect bedtime story... DC Canada Education

This book reminded me of these:

A Home for Gnomes

Old Fellow

The Biscuit Maker

Heart and Soul

Troy Wilson says he was inspired by this book - Waiting for the Whales.

Old Fellow by Christopher Cheng illustrated by Liz Anelli

I like the enigma at the beginning of this sweet story - who is the 'old fellow'? Is the old dog or his elderly owner? It takes until the fourth spread for this to become clear - the narrator is the old man and he is having a conversation with his very old dog and they walk to their local park.

"Goodness me! We must be slow today. There are so many dogs and people here already. Look at that puppy chasing his tail. I remember when another small puppy couldn't stop chasing his tail!"

This is  gentle story of companionship and routines of love and daily walks. The text feels so personal as we 'listen in' to the conversation which I imagine is inside the old man's head. I adore the almost soft focus light filled illustrations which contain so much detail firstly inside the man's home and later around their park. In the backgrounds you can see the city buildings and construction. The variety of people who visit the park just feel natural - there is no sense of an agenda to include old and young, different cultures and abilities. You may recognise this park - it could be Melbourne or the setting could be any city. 

At one point the old man meets a friend who invites him to play a game of chess. The man asks his dog "Have we got time?"  This made me smile because if this book has a message (not that I need one) it is that the man and his dog, for today at least, have plenty of time. There will be many more days of walks to the park even though they are both old fellows.

If you are connoisseur of end papers make sure you hunt out this book - the end papers in this book are brilliant. This is a fairly new Australian children's picture book from 2022. I have not been able to talk about many of our best books over the last 12 months because I have been a Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) picture book judge but because this book was not sent to us for judging I can talk about it.

Liz Anelli’s highly expressive, richly detailed and boldly coloured warm illustrations enrich the narrative providing further clues about the relationship between the old man and dog. Children and adults alike will delight in the brilliant detail in the illustrations which offer something new to discover each time this book is revisited. Reading Opens Doors

Try to find this book in your school or local library. It would be a beautiful one to share with a young child. I well remember the old man who lived in our street when we were children. I realise now he must have been so lonely. Perhaps this book could be a jumping off point to connect with an older person in your community. Here are some teachers notes from Scholastic Australia. You can see inside this book here and Chris Cheng has a video trailer on his web page. The Biscuit Maker (see below) would be the perfect companion book. 

Here are some other books illustrated by Liz Anelli:

The Biscuit Maker

One Photo (in the US this has the title Dad's Camera)

Bogtrotter by Margaret Wild illustrated by Judith Rossell

Bogtrotter is good fun but at the same time it raises some interesting questions.  It has been selected for the CBCA Notable list for 2016.  Take a look at some of the subjects I have listed for this book :

Boredom
Isolation
Philosophy
Mindfulness
Companionship
Happiness


Bogtrotter lives a life defined by routine.  Every day is exactly the same as the one before until one day frog asks the first of a series of profound questions :

Question One
"Why do you run all day long?"

Question Two
"Don't you ever do anything new and different?"

And much later possibly the most important, even life changing, question :
Question Three
"Do you ever run outside the bog?"

After the first two questions Bogtotter sees new things in his environment - flowers, a family of muskrats, a tree branch just perfect for swinging, a family of ducks and even the delight of a dance in the summer rain.  Sadly though something is missing from his life.  Take some time now to look in his little home.  There are pictures of other bogtrotters on his wall or are they of this bogtrotter?

Our friend the bogtrotter is quite an endearing character.  Look at his eyes - these beautifully reflect his emotions. Now look at the way he moves. Judith Rossell shows such lively movement through her joyous illustrations.

Here is a review in our magazine Reading Time.  Here are a set of very useful teaching notes from the publisher.  Judith Rossell's book Withering-by-sea is a firm favourite in our school library.

It might be good to pair Bogtrotter with The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek - this is a delightful book to read aloud and also deals with isolation, identity and important philosophical questions.

We always enjoy sharing books by Margaret Wild with the students in our school.  In fact she has one whole shelf in our library.  With our youngest students I especially love to read Lucy Goosey, Puffling, Little Humpty and Miss Lilly's fabulous pink feather boa.