This is an interesting book. At its core, the book offers whimsical musings from George the cat’s point of view, capturing small moments of stillness and quiet observation. Through George’s slow, contemplative moments, readers are reminded to appreciate everyday stillness and quiet love. This could be fitting lessons for kids or a good reminder for adults.

However, it is more a series of vignettes than a continuous narrative. This lack of cohesion was frustrating as a reader as it felt loosely assembled and unfocused with no overarching storyline or clear progression. There would be pages that seemed to go together, but the whole book didn’t.

The artwork has a cozy, minimalist aesthetic that charms at first glance. The soft pastel palette and simple character designs invite quiet reflection alongside George. My immediate thoughts were the artwork was extremely cute and there were so many pages I even wanted to screenshot as a phone screen wallpaper.

However, upon reviewing other reader’s reviews who looked deeper at the artwork than myself, many noted multiple illustrations show inconsistencies suggesting AI-generated art (e.g., misplaced ears, missing tails, additional limbs). I don’t know the truth, but it does make you question, which reduces my enjoyment of the book.

While I do think this was cute in theory, the concerns many readers brought up are valid. I would have loved this book to be perfect so I could give it the 5 stars I’d love to give any cat book!

This is such a cute book . Much needed after reading any heavy topic books.

Even though I don’t own any pet or cat. I always feel that cat is one of the loyal animal . Read this one truly amazed how George even he’s just an animal but it more understanding , giving joy and hope true its cute characters .

I enjoy reading this one . Thank you for the eARC in return with my honest thought or review .

The art is really cute, but the personification of the cat throws me off. It's possibly meant to be whimsical and comforting but it's so non-cat like.

This book was okay, but cute. I couldn't really read it entirely because the formatting was all messed up, which was kind of disappointing.

It was a great book! Super easy to read, very cozy and good for children to understand. As an adult you can also take a moment to think about this, I have a cat and had never thought about this! It's amazing, super well written and the pictures are next level. It's hard enough to write a book, but to also illustrate it? I applaud you, you did both so well. 5 stars.

I thought this book would be a good read one night when I was having trouble sleeping. The cover was cute and the description had me pulled in. However, that was where the enjoyment ended. The structure is not cohesive and the book varies between poems and notes. It almost feels like I’m reading someone’s notebook of observations about their own cat, but it wasn’t fleshed out enough for other readers. Like others have mentioned, I am also concerned about potential AI generation of the images. There is no illustrator mentioned, and the about the author page does not mention artwork.

"What George Thinks When He Sits Still" is an unique, super sweet looking childrens book about a cat (George) and their thoughts. It's so cozy and lovely, it calmed me down like nothing else did!

I thought this was really cute. I saw that there is some controversy with whether this was written by AI. I hope it wasn't because it is sweet and has a good message.

I thought the artwork was cute. That's about the only positive I can think of though. The theme of "sitting still" did not seem to be the sole focus of the writing, which was kind of all over the place, even for a children's book. I didn't necessarily agree with the central theme being "sitting still" tbh. The story was also quite repetitive and switched from first person to third person about halfway through. I couldn't say for sure if the images were generated with AI or not. I won't comment on that. So overall, I give 3 stars for potential.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately drawn in by the adorable, cozy, cover art of What George Thinks When He Sits Still. and even more so by the description. A graphic novel based on a cat’s thoughts as he moves through the day — what more could you ask for?! The illustrations throughout were so very cute. I loved how you were inspired to appreciate the small things in life and find beauty in the unexpected through George’s point of view. However, the story was lacking a flow. It seemed as though it jumped from repetitive pages, to completely unrelated topics as if pages were missing.

Overall the concept of the book was very cute and I think it will be enjoyed by a young audience as well as cat lovers of all ages.

There is no place for AI in creative spaces.

I love cats and the description made it seem like it was going to be a lovely cozy read. Unfortunately, I am disappointed. The "tender, beautiul illustrations" have been made with some help from a plagiarizing engine, also known as AI. Generative AI doesn't create anything on its own - it relies on stolen images. What's more, it uses an insane amount of water and electricity. Using generative AI is highly unethical and not disclosing the fact that it has been used to create a book is straight up manipulation. Readers have the right to know.

I saw some reviews that are defending the book and saying that those weird illustrations could just be human errors. But the thing is, those aren't the types of errors that a human makes. Why would an artist intentionally draw a cat with five legs? We are surrounded by AI 'creations' on daily basis and in order to survive we learned how to differentiate them from genuine art. There are tell-tale signs of AI usage and they are present in this book. I am not saying that everything in this book ingenuine and artificially created, but unfortunately many of the featured illustrations seem to be.

It really is a shame, because the concept and message about the magic of quiet moments is quite nice. I also liked the "Cat Notes" section at the end, which talked a bit about science of real cat thoughts.

What George Thinks When He Sits Still opens with promise with a cute note from the author. However, within the first couple of pages it becomes clear that this book was written and illustrated using AI. The images are cut off in places, and the writing is inconsistant to the point of confusion. I am disappointed.

I was really enjoying this book—a cozy and relaxing read that teaches you to appreciate the little things in life in a world that’s always in a rush. However, I read a review that said the illustrations were made with AI, and as I kept reading, I realized there were indeed some odd things: on some pages the cat had three legs, on others five, sometimes an ear was flipped the wrong way... And yet, nowhere did it say that AI was used. Honestly, I think profiting from AI while claiming it was lovingly illustrated by a human is deceiving the reader.

A gentle, adorable micro-read that, while appealing to cat lovers with an absolutely cute cat to stare at, reminds us that the simplest moments of life can be treasured and can be sources of joy. Be like George: stay still, and you'll find there's so many little things to appreciate in life.

Thanks to Netgalley and Chantilly Cat Press for providing with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Copy received via Netgalley]

This is a very calm and quiet picture book centered around a cat's day to day life of looking at insects and birds, lying in rays of sunshine, and feeling loved.

I enjoyed the clean illustrative style of the author and the many pages without words where we're invited to just sit still with George and enjoy the illustrations. The structure felt a bit meandering and unequal, with some parts a bit heavier on text and some parts heavier on illustrations. I think I would have enjoyed a bit less text, as sometimes it was pulling me out of the meditative state the rest of the book.

I think the eBook version suffers a bit from not allowing us to see double pages next to each other, but that might be an unavoidable peril of the format. I might get a paper version so that I can share it with my niece once she's old enough.

I would have liked to learn more about the author or buy reproductions of her art to put in my reading journal but couldn't find anything sadly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for this honest review.

What George Thinks When He Sits Still by Caroline Bell is a short picture book that explores the thoughts of a coat who is content to appreciate the small comforts of life with his owner.The concept is sweet and cozy. The reminder to enjoy little moments and practice gratitude is certainly never out of place. The art is minimal, muted, and peaceful. However…

By all appearances, the art was at least partially AI generated. As several other people have pointed out, the art style changes slightly from page to page and there are a few…odd details. Regardless of how the illustrations were created, they lack cohesion and sometimes seem out of place. At times, the illustrations were highly repetitive, but not in a way that seemed purposeful. The text was similar. Very repetitive, sometimes nonsensical, and switching between first and third person with no apparent reason or pattern.

I don’t want to accuse someone of using AI lightly. But I cannot deny the impression that this content gave me. I think the concept was sweet, but the execution left much to be desired. For me, this was two stars out of five, and that is only because I don’t know for a fact that AI was used.

This might be a nice book for cat-lovers that just want something mindless and cozy to look at.

This adorable. It's cozy. It's wonderful. Something about this book is so heart touchingly peacful that it advertising made me tear up at one point.
There are many morals in this book about sitting still, appreciating the small things, and love. So much love.

The art is incedible. So cute and one of my favorite styles. The Story telling is heart felt and cozy. Plus we get a few scientific facts which was super cool.

This would be a fantastic coffee table book. It works also be wonderful to read with kids. Highly recommend to everyone. Especially to fans of Tea Dragon Society.

This is a charming, peaceful picture book about the quiet life of George the cat. It inspires the reader to embrace stillness. The prose is simple and quaint and the illustrations are completely charming

Thank you Netgalley and Caroline Bell for this copy.
This was a cute short read about a cat named George who reminds us of the joys we can find when we take the time to take them in.
The illustrations are gorgeous and you can tell lovingly done. The story speaks to anyone who has ever been loved by a cat and spent time just being with them.

Thank you to NetGalley & Caroline Bell for this ARC! I just adored the illustrations of George and all the cute short snip-it’s of a cats thoughts. Definitely a cute book to gift as a baby shower gift for a cat lover.