Cat Nap

Caldecott Honoree Lies turns a cat-and-mouse tale into a handcrafted visual tour through art history in this immersive picture book. When a gray kitten snoozing atop a sofa suddenly spots a mouse, the latter escapes by leaping into an “Egyptian Antiquities” exhibition poster from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Does Kitten follow?” the narrator asks, in what becomes the book’s refrain. “Of course he does.” The chase subsequently meanders through centuries’ worth of Met-housed artworks—from an Egyptian tomb panel to an abstracted Georgia O’Keeffe landscape. The kitten morphs to take on the characteristics of each, becoming a delicately rendered ink wash in the manner of Hokusai, mimicking the stylings of Remojadas pottery, and reflecting the glossy black surface of a Mblo portrait mask. When the kitten finds itself both mouseless and lost, he’s comforted by a compassionate monk in a gold-leafed Florentine panel before heading back in time for supper. Both a labor of love and a flight of imagination, it’s a journey that should leave an indelible paw-print on readers. Back matter details the artistic process and highlighted works. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)