Black Cat By Christopher Myers

Myers, Christopher. Black Cat. New York: Scholastic Press, 1999.

Black Cat is a children’s picture book written and illustrated by Christopher Myers. The book’s genre is general fiction, poetry and rhyming. This book is about a black cat that freely wanders through the inner city streets and alleys of Harlem day and night. The unobserved narrator throughout the book asks the cat where is it’s home, and where does it go. It appears the cat has no home, and wanders freely as he (or she) pleases.
Black Cat is written in a rhythmic poetry, which style matches the unique illustrations of the book. The book can be enjoyed by wide age group, but the book’s poetry may be too complex and it’s references to foreign things may be to difficult for young children to understand.
The illustrations in this book are very unique. Myers uses real photographs shot in Harlem and Brooklyn, and transforms them into eye-catching collages by adding his own ink and gouache (a type of paint).
I think this book portrays the themes of identity, freedom, and a home. The cat is free to roam wherever and however he wishes. This book may evoke the reader to think about their home life, and realize that they are lucky to have a home, although this book also shows that the cat enjoys his freedom and independence without a home. At the end when the cat is asked where is it’s home, the cat responds, “anywhere I roam.”
If you like this book, you would also enjoy Harlem, written by Walter Dean Myers, and illustrated by Christoper Myers.