Collage Cat inspired by “Winston and the Indoor Cat”

Are you looking for a fun craft to make with your children for Book Week? These fun cat collages were inspired by one of this year’s CBCA shortlisted Early Childhood books, “Winston and the Indoor Cat,” written and illustrated by Leila Rudge.

“A story about seeing what life is like on the other side of the window.

Two very different cats: Winston, a free-spirited explorer; and The Indoor Cat, lover of leisure; form a friendship and show each other how different their lives could be. Can The Indoor Cat be enticed by outdoor adventure? Will Winston be tempted by a life of indoor luxury?“

“Winston and the Indoor Cat” is a lovely story about the power of friendship. It demonstrates that although we are all different, we can enjoy each other’s company and happily accept each other’s differences. The illustrations are gorgeous and have a hint of humour, which my daughter really enjoyed. Today we are making our own cats using 2 simple shapes.

To make your collage cat, you will need the following craft supplies:

Supplies

• Colour paper
• Grey lead pencil
• Felt tip pens/colour pencils
• Scissors
• Glue stick

Step 1

To create the head and body of our cat draw the 2 shapes below. To draw these shapes I traced around a plastic cup. To make the first shape below I traced around half of the cup to create a semi-circle and then ruled 2 lines to the bottom of the paper. Cut out your shapes.

Step 2

Choose a sheet of A4 paper as your background and glue your body and head to the paper.

Step 3

Time to decorate! Using colour paper, cut out some ears, a tail, some eyes, a nose and mouth. This is where you get to make your cat your own. Is your cat a happy or grumpy cat? Don’t forget to add some details to the background. Is your cat an indoor cat or an outdoor cat? Before you glue everything down, place it on the paper and check how it looks and make any changes.

Here is my finished indoor cat!

And here is my outdoor cat!

My kids Max and Zoë had lots of fun making their own collage cats. It’s such a fun and simple craft to make and from 2 simple shapes, there are so many differences between our designs. We hope you have fun making cat collages too!

Looking for some more crafts inspired by this year’s shortlisted books? Take a look here: | Paper Cup Rocket Inspired by “Stellarphant” | Paper Plate Whale inspired by “Walk of the Whales”

Or if you would like some Book Week display inspiration, take a look at my “Wizard of Oz” display here: Dreaming with Eyes Open Book Week Display 2022