REVIEW: If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky

If Not for the Cat written by Jack Prelutsky and paintings by Ted Rand is a book of seventeen haikus. Each haiku centers on a different animal and has a coinciding painting paired with it. There is an index of animals listed in the back of the book that includes the subject of the haikus: a mouse, butterflies, a skunk, an anteater, an otter, an elephant, a moth, a crow, a kangaroo, a hummingbird, a rattlesnake, a bald eagle, ants, a parrot, a sloth, jellyfish, and a beaver.


The tone of the book is quiet, deep, and thoughtful as it follows the traditional 5-7-5 syllable structure of the haiku. All of the poems are written in haiku, which naturally has a dreamy quality as they exist like snapshots of a moment in reality, highlighting the fleeting aspects of life. These thoughtful haikus are presented as questions and riddles that spark discussion with the reader, further adding to the mystical feeling of the poems. The animals are personified and mirror an emotion or state of being. The parrot, while beautiful, has nothing to say, yet can't stop talking. The crows are misled but not fooled. The beaver has no tools but takes down trees; and the skunk is not strong but frightens even wolves. The sensory nature of the haiku is filled with imagery such as the sweetness of motherhood exemplified through the kangaroo and her joey, “safe inside my pouch/ sleeps the future of my kind-/delicate and frail.” The depth of the poems comes from their sophisticated dual nature, as each haiku contains both literal truth as well as symbolic meaning. The moth haiku best exemplifies this duality:

How foolish I am 

Why am I drawn to the flame

 Which extinguishes?


Prelutsky’s description of the moth can be viewed in a literal sense: moths are drawn to flames. But the choice of words ‘foolish’, ‘drawn’ and ‘extinguishes’ highlight the symbolic reality that we all face: why are we drawn to that which is bad for us? This duality is what makes these poems so special. They can work for grade school children learning about the natural world or adolescents (and even adults) as they attempt to understand the deeper hidden meaning of the world around them. Word choice also impacts the sound of the poems. Prelutsky’s evocative word choice is heard in the harsh, cacophonous 'raucously' in the poem about the angry crows, and the smooth, otherworldly 'undulate' to describe the bizarre jellyfish, serving to impact the auditory experience of reading the poem aloud. 

These poems promote self-reflection through their innocuous descriptions of the natural world. The beautiful and serene haiku is the perfect medium for quiet reflection of both the inner and outer world. To introduce this poem to high school students, I would ask them to think about a time when the outer world seemed to mimic what they were feeling inside. I would then read the poem aloud and start a discussion on why we are attracted to things that are bad for us. For younger students, I might also pair this collection with a nonfiction book about moths or other insects to connect a literary discussion to the science curriculum. I highly recommend If Not For the Cat for people of all ages, as it is a wonderful and interactive way to introduce children to animals, as well as a bridge to connect teens to universal truth and emotional expression.

Prelutsky, J. (2004). If not for the cat (T. Rand, Illus.). Greenwillow Books. 978-0060596774

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