What George Thinks When He Sits Still, written and illustrated by Caroline Bell, is a lovely, lyrical storybook in which a cat named George shows the readers the importance of slowing down and living in the moment.
Bell skillfully tells a thoughtful tale that is needed in the racing world of today; a tale of peace, love, imagination, and appreciation of the people and things around you as you experience them. The illustrations beautifully support the story, and books feature in many of them as a gentle reminder of the magic found within pages. The list at the end of 'My Favorite (sic) Things to Think About' is a wonderful way to get readers - adults and children alike - to reflect on what they have read and on things, people, and pets that they love thinking about.
I'm happy to have received an ARC of the beautiful book #WhatGeorgeThinksWhenHeSitsStill from #NetGalley.

This was so cute and wholesome!!!!!

George's peace reminded me of the Latin term 'otium' or in French 'la farniente' which means 'the bliss of doing nothing' and I love that for George.
This book reminded me of all the small 'normal things we encounter in life that we barely notice anymore because of seeing it multiple times, I thank George for this cute reminder.

The illustration were beautiful in a whimsical way and I don't care if it's a children's book.

This was such a cute little book! I love the little writings and the art was so adorable. My only problem is that I'm not sure who this is aimed for... Kids or adults. The writing felt more like advice for advice, but the fact that there wasn't much writing and there was so much art made me feel like it was for kids. Either way, I think this book offers simple life lessons that everyone can learn something from!

This is a beautiful and calming story. I like its take on mindfulness but from a child’s perspective. George’s inner thoughts during quiet moments are vulnerable, insightful, and surprisingly relatable for readers, regardless of how young or old they are. The illustrations were efficient in adding a gentle tone to the story, ultimately producing a guide to help children understand the power of being still.

What George Thinks When He Sits Still is a beautifully illustrated children's book. It has soft, calming colors reminiscent of antique children's books. The book has an inviting hygge vibe, perfect for a bedtime story. I loved the tones of the colors used in the illustrations, giving the calm tone that George radiates throughout the story. This is the perfect book to unwind to, especially in this overstimulating society. George's story is perfect for the young cat lovers in your life.

I adore George and his little quiet life. The insights into his daily routines and his quiet thoughts were very precious to read about. I could see my own late cat in him. What saddens me a bit is the inconsistency in the art style. George looks different on nearly every page and there are random tails popping up on areas of the page where they don't make sense. I think this picture book would have benefited from quality over quantity in the illustrations.

5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Chantilly Cat press for an arc. All opinions are my own.

Everybody say “I love you George” right now!!
This book is super cute. I am very much a cat person, and all of the art was super cute and fun. I also think this book perfectly encapsulates cozy vibes. It’s all about slowing down and appreciating the current moment, which is lovely.

This is beautifully written and illustrated, although the story does wander around a little. It's deliberately very calm and calming, with on-trend colours and charming pictures. I, an an adult found it both calming and charming. I'm not sure I would give this to a child, but I'm definitly thinking about giving a copy to my best friend, who refuses to meditate, because this book is so calming and is a secret gateway to meditation and calm.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I read this with my children and we all fell in love with George the cat. Cutest illustration and really a sweet story.

This is a sweet, simple book that will charm children and adult readers alike. It is filled with small observations and sweet poetry about the author's cat. It is clearly made with love and reflects that back to the reader.

Absolutely adorable book about an absolutely adorable kitty. I strive to be more like George.

Thank you Caroline Bell, Chantilly Cat Press, and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a charming children's book about a cat named George and his musings. It reminds us to slow down and see the joy in everyday small things...through a cat's point of view. The illustrations are beautiful (I love the color pallette). I would seriously frame some of these!

(Like others have pointed out, there are some illustrations that need to be fixed? In one, George's ear has blended into his back...the owner in bed with no head...George's tail outside the box...and one where George appears to have an extra leg. That, or he is batting the flower with his back leg.)

Thank you to NetGalley and to Chantilly Cat Press for this ARC!

3.75/5

Cute book! The charm and whimsy is in the illustrations most of all, but it has a nice message too about the importance of stillness and living in the moment.

I’ve only recently come around to cats (being a bird person my whole life I had something against them since one tried to jump at my budgie in his cage while at the vet when I was a kid 😅 also until recently they were my top allergy after dust 🥲) so this was unique for me to get a sense of what cats might be all about.

I think I’d probably have liked it even more if I was a total cat person because I would’ve been around cats more often and relate to seeing them sit in their stillness. Still, I like the message about living in the moment and it also says a lot - in just a few pages - about dealing with big emotions and anxiety too in how the cat behaves.

I do think it was a little repetitive and might worked well enough as a short picture book but the illustrations were so adorable that I didn’t even mind.

I loved how the illustrations of the book felt like a cozy colouring book. The colours that were used in the illustrations had a very calming effect on me. I loved seeing the cat Geogre's dreams and thoughts.

This was adorable!

George is such a good boy and the insight into cat's brain that he offered was very wholesome and cute. The illustrations are very nice and the writing's a bit poetic at times which went really good with the whimsical drawings, especially while George was fantasizing about living in his cardboard castle.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review ✨

The book contains beautiful illustrations, mainly of cat George as well as his human. It describes all the thoughts that can come to a still mind, thereby helping children learn about stillness and peace in a non-threatening way. The end of the book has cat facts that make for a interesting read even for adults.

This is a very cute book. In the sweetest way it teaches kids how to use their imagination and intuition when being still. The illustrations are where this book shines.
They are so well done and sweet and make the words come to life to create a beautiful little personality for George the cat.

This story is quiet and comforting and very sweet. The art is adorable and the colors are really soothing. I think anyone who loves cats would love this book. It’s exactly what I wanted it to be.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read What George Thinks When He Sits Still for free!

This sure as hell was something else, I'll tell you that.

So, I do recognise that this book is for kids in pre-school, so obviously, a lot of the short writing and almost whimsy to it is going to be different to an almost 30-year-old person compared to a 3-year-old. But I do believe that just because it's a kids book doesn't mean that they don't deserve better.

Firstly, I don't want to accuse the book of being AI, as it's a terrible accusation to make of an artist. However, I've had my (albeit fanfiction but still) stolen recently by AI, and it sucks. So if this author DIDN'T use AI, then where the bloody hell was an editing team before this went out to publish?

As others have noted, there's missing heads in beds, the cat missing its tail. Sometimes I noticed the cat's tail would be somewhere else on the page, or when it was inside the box, its tail WRAPPED AROUND THE BOX. So either, this cat has an impressively long tail, his owner cut a hole in the box just for the tail, or... it was AI. There's also inconsistencies with the colouring of the cat, his head and tail would be a light colour, whereas the body is a dark colour. Or sometimes the cat's eyes would only be black dots, to then be coloured blue then back to the black dots, then to a colour similar to its fur.

Not only that, but the pronouns of George and the POV changes. So that does make me wonder if even the writing is AI too? Or it just didn't get any final edits either. One moment it'll be in third-person, then in first-person. Sometimes George is a he, sometimes George is a she.

Then towards the end you have this wall of text about how cats might not be able to say I love you, or even seem like they actually like you, but they do. And that's great, I have two cats (I've had one before my current ones), and while I'll always be a dog lover, my cats make me so happy. But it just feels so odd to have text that is pretty simple and easy-ish enough to have kids follow along, with breaks for pages of art, to then have a wall of text with no breaks to explain the science of cats.

I'm really disappointed about this book. It looked cute, but to see that the author didn't seem to care, along with the publishers, is disappointing. On top of that, who is Caroline Bell? There's no Instagram account, or Twitter, or whatever IF you wanted to find more about her. I get that sometimes authors will have pen names, but wouldn't there be some sort of social media even with the pen name? This is all just too fishy that even a cat wouldn't eat.

Anyone who has ever loved a cat will love this story. Full of enchanting words and sweet pictures, this book will delight all cat people. You'll fall in love with George by the end of this story!