Thao Lam's brilliant new book My Cat Looks Like My Dad emphasizes the idea that family is what you make of it.
The narrator's cat looks like their dad. They both get milk mustaches, they both are brave (sometimes), and they both enjoy a good belly rub. But the narrator looks more like their mom, and as readers move through the book it becomes clear that families come in all shapes and sizes.
The cut paper collage is absolutely stunning, and it's hard not to feel like running your hand down every page to try to feel the illustrations. Thao Lam's combination of highly patterned papers and unique angles and layering gives weight and structure to every illustration. With a few exceptions, most spreads have white backgrounds, so it's almost as though readers are looking at an intricately staged event with every flip of the page. And the twist ending will leave you flipping through the book all over again.
My Cat Looks Like My Dad published earlier this year from Owlkids, and you can also read an interview I did with Thao about her illustration process here.
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