Annie's Cat Is Sad

by Heather Smith, Karen Obuhanych (Illustrations)

A little girl navigates her cat's bad day in this picture book about exploring sadness and how we find comfort.

Annie comes home from school to find her cat, Delilah, has had a terrible day and is quite sad.

What do you do when your friend is sad? Cheer them up with all the things they love! Annie tries TV, warm milk, and even yoga! But at the end of the day, no distraction can really make our bad days simply disappear, as Annie knows all too well. You just have to face them head-on, maybe have a good cry, and find comfort in
those you love.

Heather Smith has written a gentle picture book about how we sometimes have to sit in the sadness of a bad day before we can move beyond it. Paired with Karen Obuhanych's bold, emotive illustrations, readers will feel seen by Annie's Cat Is Sad.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Childrens, Storytime, Emotion, Humor, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

Published June 14, 2022

About the author

Originally from Newfoundland, Heather Smith now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her husband and three children. Her Newfoundland roots inspire much of her writing.

Reviews

[Abby Johnson]

Awww, this is a really sweet little book about managing emotions when you've had a bad day. When Annie comes home, she can just tell her cat has had a bad day, but readers know from the illustrations that it's actually Annie who's had a bad day. As Annie goes through all kinds of coping strategies to cheer up her cat, she knows what would really fix it is a hug. And luckily, cat is willing to comply at the very end. This is not only a cute and sweet book, but I love that it models many different ways of self-soothing after a tough day. Having a warm drink, distracting yourself with some entertainment (TV, etc.), moving your body (yoga), and having a little cry are all modeled. A sweet book for cat lovers or anyone interested in social emotional learning.

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow... I did not need to be called out like this for constantly nagging my cats. 😒

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet little storybook about a girl who worries that her cat has had a bad day (but as the reader, based on the pictures, we know Annie is projecting her own feelings about her day onto her cat). Annie tries to cheer up her cat by doing some of her favourite activities with her cat - and her cat kindly obliges. I would recommend this book to cat fans and to kids who are learning to sort through their feelings!

[Tayler K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up for the redhead, teal-eyed girl named Annie and her gray cat with green eyes. (I'm a redhead, teal is my favorite color, my middle name is Ann and my mother is Annette, and my 2 childhood cats were gray with green eyes. Yes, representation matters, even to a 30-year-old white lady.)

I love the trend we're on of teaching emotional intelligence in children's books!! I don't know if it's publishing as a whole or what they're ordering at my library, but I love it.

Annie comes home from school and her cat Delilah seems sad. Annie tries all sorts of things to cheer her up--a warm milk "cattucino", a cartoon, some yoga (including upward unicorn pose, yay!). I loved seeing Delilah's toe beans and claws sticking up on the first yoga page.

Then Annie lays down and tells Delilah that your bad day will come back to mind just when you've forgotten it. And then Annie starts to cry. Maybe she was the one having a bad day all along and projecting onto Delilah (although Delilah did seem a bit standoffish--whether she was sad or being the stereotypical cat jerk is up for interpretation). But when Annie is crying, Delilah comes over to sit with Annie and Annie says "I knew a hug would make you feel better."

It's a cute story. And cat hugs are always a great remedy for sadness!

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit, I'm a sucker for redheads and cats (since I have both), but this book deserves a read. Annie is convinced her cat is sad, only to find out that Annie is the one who needs a hug. It's a classic tactic to use help kids at the doctor's office or talk about their feelings by using a favorite stuffed animal as an example but I have never seen it used as a pet. I think it works well here with the humor that comes from a slightly annoyed cat and a caring child. In the end, I think it is an effective way to show kids how to think about their feelings and maybe even recognize when a friend might need a little help as well.

[R.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfect picture book! Smith's short, sweet story follows the absolutely charming Annie as she tries to cheer up her cat. Yoga, TV, and cattuccinos ensue! But is it really the cat who needs cheering up...?

Between Smith's excellent narrative voice and Obuhanych's funny, yet poignant, illustrations, this is a book for anyone who has ever tried--and failed--to distract themselves from the reality of a bad day. I laughed, I empathized, and I gained a renewed sense of gratitude for my own highly tolerant feline friend.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone has sad days. Annie comes home from school and notices that her cat, Delilah is sad. While it's Annie that's actually sad, Annie tries different self-soothing techniques to comfort Delilah, including alone time, a drink, TV, yoga, crying, and eventually a hug. It's okay to have sad days, and it's okay for it to take a while to not be sad. While I don't always like the giant eyes used by Disney and other kids' media, in this book, it was good to show Annie and Delilah's feelings throughout.

[Lisa Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great picture book. Annie comes home and notices right away her cat is sad. The adult reader realizes pretty quickly, it's not the cat who is sad (unless you count the fact Annie woke him up for a nap), but Annie, who does many things to make the cat feel better, which he does for a moment, until his bad day comes back. It's a great story to teach kids about emotions and sometimes you just need to cry.

[Dannaca · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this for our mindfulness story time. It's probably better for slightly older kids, but younger kids will probably be drawn to the illustrations of Annie and her cat, Delilah. They're both very expressive characters. This is a great book for understanding emotions and it has good advice that young kids can understand about how to feel better after a bad day.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Annie comes home from school, she thinks her tabby cat Delilah is looking a bit down. What might help; perhaps a hug, a cattucino, a funny cartoon? This book is so precious and sweet! I love Annie's gentle care and Delilah's grumpy loaf postures!

[Thaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how it started off with making us think the cat was sad. But in reality, it was Annie. Often times, we project our own negative emotions onto things and our loved ones. But it is important to hug it out and talk through the negative feelings, for there are better days coming.

[Chris Dennis Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is adorable. It has some coping skills for kids (or cats) who have a bad day, and even has the message "it's okay to cry." I love it so much.

[Dylan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and straight to the point, Smith created a cute and important picture book here. I adore the illustrations, and the reminder of how helpful pets can be when we're sad.

[SamSamSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

STOP IT'S MAKING ME CRY
Social-emotional

[Karie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A red head. A cat. A cattuccino. Perfect picture book for when you’re having a bad day.

[Tiziana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annie's cat, Delilah, totally reminds me of my kitty, and how cats really enjoy their alone time.

[Olivia S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute. A girl comes home from school and reassures her cat, who has "had a bad day and is feeling sad". It turns out maybe Annie had a hard day. Cute, funny, respectful of cat boundaries.

[Alonsonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, sweet book. It actually helped me with my bad day. So adorable and sweet.

[Emi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming children's book about feelings and pets

[Tera · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!

[R. L. Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so sweet! I loved how we learn it was Annie who had the bad day. It was a lovely story with legitimate ways to help you feel better after a bad day. So sweet and perfect for littles!

[Ember Moto · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet story about a girl and her cat who try to cheer up after a bad day.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute art with a good message.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So relieved this didn’t go the way I dreaded it would.

[Ms. Madalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl comes home to find that her cat seems sad and proceeds to find several ways to make it feel better.