{ "item_title" : "What a Small Cat Needs", "item_author" : [" Natalia Shaloshvili", "Lena Traer "], "item_description" : "One of LitHub's Most Anticipated Children's Books of 2026- Sweet, tender, and perfect for the youngest picture book readers, this winning story about a most adorable kitten is an affectionate invitation to identify with and love this small cat.What does a small cat need? Two little eyes, two little ears, big whiskers, and a tail, to start. What else does a small cat need? Maybe a walk in the flowers, a sip of milk, or a warm spot to laze around in the sun.But above all else, what a small cat needs is...someone big or little--maybe someone just like you --with cuddly arms and a huge heart to pet it and hear it purr. Yes, every cat needs that This is a tender and universal story through which author-illustrator Natalia Shaloshvili achieves something quite rare: illustrations that are of great artistic quality, and yet succeed in being warm, funny and relatable to children.With beautiful pacing and emotionally astute moments, this small story succeeds brilliantly in structuring an identification between small cat and child that will have young readers returning to this book again and again--to see themselves, while also feeling love and care for this irresistible kitten.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers3.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/59/270/477/1592704778_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "17.99", "online_price" : "17.99", "our_price" : "17.99", "club_price" : "17.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

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In Natalia Shaloshvili’s What a Small Cat Needs, young readers meet a small blue-eyed cat navigating a drizzly coastal town, and learn about each essential this furry friend requires to live. As the weather worsens, the listed necessities—a tail, a teacup of milk and a flower patch—develop into larger, more pressing things, such as a roof to hide under. Using a mix of acrylic paints, watercolor pencils and digital finishing, Shaloshvili layers subtly blended colors and whimsical details that will be gradually uncovered with each reread. Her use of texture along with cool grays, greens and blues immerse you in the winter chill of the town. As the tones lighten or deepen on different pages, the joy or concern we feel for the cat shifts too. The book expertly preserves a sense of tranquility even when the kitten journeys through the harsh elements, accompanied by a host of overbearing seagulls as well as an eerie, suspicious wolf. In later pages, when the cat finally discovers what she needs most in the stormy town, warm red and orange tones seep in, and readers can feel the icy atmosphere slowly thaw. . On her author website, Shaloshvili describes her quirky, beautifully painted animal characters as “cute, calm, humble and amusing, living their ordinary lives in a strange and curious world out there.” While the quaint village and ocean imagery in What a Small Cat Needs may invite curiosity about the greater setting, Shaloshvili ensures the focus never wavers from the minutiae of its feline protagonist’s adventures. What a Small Cat Needs recreates the security of a warm hug on even the coldest of days.