Big Cat Pepper

Entry Number: 62

Title: Big Cat Pepper
Author: Elizabeth Partridge
Illustrator: Lauren Castillo
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Year: 2009
ISBN: 978-1599900247
Genre: fiction, issues

Topics: death, pets,
Age Group: 3-6
Awards: n/a
Dewey Category: n/a
Format: Picture book

This touching story is about a little boy and his cat that love their daily routine of playing after school until one day, the usually perky Pepper doesn’t want to play at all. Pepper’s strange behavior worries the little boy, so he asks his mother plainly, “Is he gonna die, Momma?” As Pepper is buried in the garden, the boy asks, “Will he be afraid down there in the dark?” The story touches on moments of grief and loneliness, but the somber tone is complemented by comforting textures of a warm hues and a lighthearted ending of acceptance. The boy learns to find his beloved pet in his surroundings: he hears Pepper's purr in the wind and feels his whiskers in the grass. Finally, the boy is able to find Pepper in his heart. This story is sure to help young children express their loss of a loved pet or to introduce the concept of death.