One Brave Boy and His Cat

The picture book One Brave Boy and His Cat deals with the common childhood trauma of losing a pet. The story follows seven-year-old Nick and his family immediately after their cat has been hit by a car. The family takes the pet to the veterinarian, and Nick is told to stay in the waiting room while the cat is being examined. The vet tells the parents that the cat is beyond medical help. Initially, Dad wants to hide this information from Nick, but the vet convinces him to be honest with his son. The son is told the news and handles it with aplomb, comforting his much more emotional parents.

Written by veterinarian Dr. Andrew Peacock, the text is plain and straightforward, much like you would except of a doctor, but here it comes across as a bit cold. The writing is a little unnecessarily graphic. The cat is described as a “red-streaked bundle”, it’s “smashed up pretty bad”, and its “legs were in a position that didn’t look right”. This language could be problematic for more sensitive readers. In such a forthright book, it is odd that the text refers to the cat’s impending euthanasia as being “put to sleep” but never explains what that euphemism actually means.

The illustrations are vibrant and bold (and luckily do not depict the graphic descriptions), which feels slightly out of place in this somber text. The colourful houses and rolling green hills are recognizable as Newfoundland, the province where the author and illustrator are from. There is an image of a butterfly on each page, which is something fun for a child to notice even if there’s no clear reason for its inclusion.

Nick is exceptionally stoic and resilient, which is admirable, but this book does not offer examples for how a more emotional child can handle their grief. However, One Brave Boy and His Cat, a unique take on a familiar theme, may reflect some families’ experience of this sad event.