It’s time for my occasional discussion of a children’s picture book that I love. Cat Nap is by Brian Lies, a Caldecott Honor-Winning Artist. If you’re not familiar with the Caldecott Award, it’s the highest honor a children’s illustrator can receive in the U.S. Lies’ Honor Book was one he wrote and illustrated, The Rough Patch. I know his work from his Bats books, including. Bats in the Library. Although the age range for Cat Nap says ages 4-8, adult readers who appreciate art may be in awe of this book, as I am. Lies’ artwork, and his use of mixed media is just unbelievable.

Lies modeled Kitten in the book on Dylan, his Russian Blue-Siamese mix cat. The cat is gorgeous in the book, but it’s the cat’s activities that amaze me. Kitten is napping when he spies a mouse, and follows the mouse into a painting. He tracks the mouse through a series of artwork, paintings and sculptures.

Here’s the amazing part. Lies’ afterword said he could have used the computer to generate the art in the book. Instead, he based the art on ten pieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and he created the art himself, sculpting it or using acrylic and oil paints, ink, plaster, wood, gold leaf. He says some of the techniques were ones he’d used before, and some were new to him.

My two-year-old great-nephew is a little young for this book. But, I’m sharing it with my sister tomorrow, and I hope he gets to see it someday. Lies’ story about his attempts to create art as a child is delightful, and he talks about failures and successes. It’s a beautiful book to encourage and teach young people, encouraging them to keep trying. And, he documents all the pieces at the museum that inspired him. Cat Nap is a wonderful teaching tool for art, for inspiration, and for dreamers.

Brian Lies’ website is https://www.brianlies.com/

Cat Nap by Brian Lies. Greenwillow Books, 2025. 48p.

FTC Full Disclosure – Library book