My Cat Looks Like My Dad by Thao Lam

The narrator’s cat looks just like their dad. They even enjoy the same things, like naps and boxes! The narrator looks more like their mom— and they both love dancing. But really, a family is a family no matter how it might look.

Pet owners are often compared to their animals and, for some, the similarities run deep. That’s certainly the case here in the quirky world author/illustrator Thao Lam has produced. Through meticulous paper collage, she compares the dad and his cat practically with a wink. These two are depicted as so similar it’s almost catoonish. However, Lam’s use of soft colors on mostly white pages make her collages pop while grounding them in sentimental realness. It reads like a family scrapbook.

The text itself is sparse, letting the illustrations take most of the work. It’s effective, with only a basic sentence here and there to prod the story along as the narrator talks about their family.

What puts this book over the edge is its twist ending. With subtle clues along the way, the ending might be obvious for some. And yet, the final spread is adorably surprising, reinforcing that a family unit can be comprised of whoever so long as love binds them.

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Title: My Cat Looks Like My Dad
Author: Thao Lam
Publisher: Owlkids
Publication Date: April 15, 2019
Classification: Picture Book

Lam’s Website | Publisher’s Page | Goodreads

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Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.