Cat Nap

Indie Next Pick

With lush paintings and intricately constructed 3-D artwork, bestselling and Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Lies introduces a sleepy kitten whose afternoon nap transforms into an epic journey through art, time, and history. Perfect for fans of They All Saw a Cat, Museum Trip, and Jumanji. Includes back matter.

In the warm, late afternoon sunlight, a girl sits on the couch reading a book. Her kitten dozes nearby. But when Kitten notices a mouse and dives after it through a framed poster on the wall, an epic chase through time, art, and history ensues. Is it a dream? That's up to the reader to decide, but for the kitten, every leap and bound is full of suspense and makes for a masterpiece.

Caldecott Honor-winning and New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Brian Lies creates a truly unique picture book journey that invites young readers through the galleries of an art museum as well as through time, space, and history. As the cat and mouse leap from one page to the next, they are portrayed in the style of masterful artworks from history--an ancient Egyptian relief, an illuminated manuscript, a stained-glass window, a ceramic dog--each painstakingly and lovingly re-created in its original media by Brian Lies. When the sly mouse gets away, Kitten finds himself lost and alone. Will art help him find his way home?

This visual showstopper by an award-winning and bestselling picture book creator offers readers a page-turning cat and mouse chase, an introduction to famous works of art throughout history, an epic adventure story, and a homecoming. Back matter includes information about how each of the illustrations in the book was created, notes on the original artworks featured in the book, and an afterword inviting young readers to make, create, and build things.

Author: Brian Lies
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Published: 09/30/2025
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 10.70h x 9.40w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780062671288
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2025
Publishers Weekly 06/16/2025
Shelf Awareness 08/06/2025
Booklist 08/01/2025
BookPage 10/01/2025

About the Author
Lies, Brian: -

Brian Lies is the New York Times bestselling creator of Bats at the Beach, Bats at the Library, Bats at the Ballgame, Bats in the Band, and the Caldecott Honor book The Rough Patch. He has written and/or illustrated dozens of other acclaimed books for children. He lives with his family in a small seaside town in Massachusetts, where he tends a big and thriving garden.