“George likes the way your voice changes when you say his name. It sounds like velvet being folded into a smile.”
Bell’s cat George is often found purring at her feet or sitting still around her whilst she is working on new ideas for her pages. In this book, Bell takes inspiration from her own personal observance of George’s behaviour throughout the day — of how he spends his days in careful consideration of thoughtfulness and stillness, both of which have influenced Bell’s own approach to practicing mindfulness.

The result is a straightforward collection of elementary steps and practices that the readers can practice during the day. Accompanied by beautiful illustrations, this mindfulness book creates a very soft and light reading experience, prompting a sense of stillness.

Written in simple sentences, the book offers the readers advice and easy to implement steps on a conscious awareness. Just standing by the window and looking at the world outside, seeing the leaves on the trees or thinking about the clouds in the sky; George likes to watch the birds perched on the tree.

The few pages towards the end of the book dwell on how cats are very grounded in the moment, and that lets them feel safe, good and interesting, and not panicking over perceived or imagined futures. Cats are, as the author notes, capable of planning and making decisions, similar to humans, and perhaps, we should inculcate their state of resting, perhaps in the warm embrace of the sunbeam as it flows in through the open curtain, or the feel the flutter of cool breeze as it wafts over us and just embrace and enjoy this little moment of joy.

This book is perfect for those who are just starting into practicing mindfulness, and want to include into their daily life. Bell has introduced towards the end a list of the George’s favourite things, which bring him joy from sitting still, and I found out that I too enjoy many similar activities as George. I don’t have a pet cat, but I am going to take inspiration from George, and practice sitting still.

I don’t really know how to rate this one.
The concept sounded really cute.
However, the final result features sweet, but repetitive art prints.
There isn’t a “story”, per se. It begins with some meditation-inspired text and then moves into telling the reader about George and ends with general concepts.

Consistent with what other Goodreads reviews have mentioned, it is quite possible that this publication was created with assistance from AI.
I did look up the artist/author, as well as the publisher, and cannot find a website or social account for either. Even for young publishing companies and new artists/authors, it’s incredibly unusual to have no digital footprint.
Regardless, it misses the mark for me and needed more consistency.

I was provided with an eArc through NetGalley.

A very cute children's book. The premise and the illustrations are adorable. The book doesn't have a strong linear story but I did like the cat behavior facts at the end. It's a book that could be enjoyed by a child through different ages. Lots of pictures for a baby, simple sentences throughout for new readers, and cat info at the end for a slightly older child.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

original review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

this was so sweet! the illustrations and writing were absolutely precious!!

🩷 My favorite things about this book:
- I love cats, so obviously I'm a fan of how much this book is just made for cat lovers!
- The last section is so cute!
- The illustrations are absolutely beautiful!

This book is perfect for any kids who love cats!

edit: wait a minute 😭

I read the reviews and some reviewers pointed out the inconsistencies in the art so I looked back through it and saw them for myself. Much of the art looks like it was created by AI :(
That's really disappointing!

I am very torn. I really loved this story and the illustrations. However after doing some research it’s quite clear that this was falsely advertised and that the images were created with AI. Such a shame as I really loved the simple story- especially the reference to a cat wanting to be a “cloud with claws”.

A super cute picture book probably for adults as a cottagecore table book. I loved the illustrations and colouring choices for the book. It was a super precious and relaxing read.

There is not one continuous line of storytelling so I wouldn't recommend for reading to children, but could be great for independent reading. Thanks to #netgalley for this ARC of #whatgeorgethinks.

Initially the main thing I enjoyed about this was the illustrations and thought it might be a cute display book or something with pull out prints. The text was a bit repetitive and wasn’t structured in a way that flowed very well. After reading through a bit further I was disappointed to notice the illustrations are AI generated (I assume) as the cat had three front paws in multiple illustrations.

this was so precious! this graphic novel follows george, a house cat with a big heart and a big imagination. i loved the illustrations, especially the one of george looking up at the night sky, and the one of george as a knight, resting in a catnip garden with his little dragon friend. this story is full of little reminders that beauty is everywhere— and that cats see the magic in the ordinary. this was such a calming and cheerful read. i highly recommend to all the cat lovers out there! 🐈🪻💫

what could've been a very sweet and cozy book to teach children the importance of being still, taking in their surroundings, living in the moment, was instead the most insulting children's book to try to cross the shelves. What age range is this even for where there are paragraphs on one page followed by pages with no words and then a page with a few words at an easier reading level? Also, AI GENERATED IMAGES SHOULDN'T BELONG IN BOOKS OR REALLY ANYWHERE. It would be so confusing for a child to see this cat go from being fluffy to striped to it's tail being cut and added to a random part of the page. Also, it randomly changed POV and introduced George's owner by name 3/4 into the book with no proper explanation of who she is. Never let her write again

Hmm... I have to admit, when I first read through this book, I thought it was very repetitive and not organized very well. The underlying message of quiet reflection and being at peace was nice, but I couldn't understand the format of the book. On the digital version, there were multiple (sometimes sequential) pages of random images and artwork, some with pretty obvious errors. I chalked it up to a digital formatting error and tried to move on. Unfortunately, some of the text became the next "red flag" to me that indicated AI was at play. Overall, this book may not be *entirely* AI generated, but you can tell that the author did rely heavily on it to create this book. Boo.

Justice for the real George... if he even really exists.
Thank you, NetGalley!

I decided to read this book because it was available on NetGalley as a "read now," and as a librarian, I never skip over picture books.

However, I was initially confused by the art style. It definitely looks AI-generated, and I'm not sure how much of it was created by AI. Several drawings had oddities that others have mentioned.

As for the story itself, it was strangely written and didn't flow well. Although it aimed to be whimsical with cute illustrations for children, it ultimately fell flat for me.

I love cats, that's why I chose this book when I saw a cat on the cover!
I wasn't disappointed, it's a very beautiful book both in terms of illustrations and words.
I will recommend it to parents as a bedtime book because it's a quiet book, it transmits serenity while talking about George's "adventures". At the same time, however, it is a bit long and I often work with children of 3-5 years and the youngest would get lost halfway. I will read it only when I do activities with the medium ones but even better with the older ones, so only at very specific times.
However, it is an excellent book that I really loved. I will read it again!

George is precious and this was such a delightful read!!!! :') I did not expect to feel so emotional, but hearing how George loves the way his name sounds out loud got me right in the feels! I'm glad my pet is snuggled close and snoring next to me right now!

The art in this is absolutely gorgeous, too! I would love to see these as stickers! <3

This is a cosy short book about a cat called George and his inner monologue.
It's cute and wholesome- mainly vibes and no consistent story.

I found it adorable at first, but have to point out there are some AI allegations against the author and I can see why. However, as i don't have any solid evidence, I will stick with a 3 star rating as I dont want to falsely accuse them.

A beautiful picture book! A cup of tea on a rainy day cuddled up with your fur babies under a soft chenille blanket with a really good book vibes. What George Thinks When He Sits Still is a reminder to slow down and enjoy the small quiet moments. I love the illustrations. I love the calming colors used throughout the book. I love George. And now I wanna go home and hug all my four legged babies.

Found this book so soothing. Read it on one of my most hectic workdays & could feel my breathing evening out. As I read my shoulders lost that tense grip that had them in a lock. My jaw loosened. This felt like a therapy book. This is outside my normal reads & I'm not sure who it's intended for, but I will read it again. I've recommended it for 2 friends who I believe would feel the same. If I had children, I would read this to them when they are feeling overwhelmed & just need to sit in their emotions for just a moment. I loved this. As it stands, I will just read this to my cat when I'm feeling stressed & enjoy how he sleeps even deeper to my calming voice.

Reading challenge category – 2025 Hoffbensen – Bonus: Meredith, Olivia, Benjamin: Related to cats or has one of their names

AI generated. 2 stars because still cute.

Really disappointed that this is clearly AI art. It's a shame, because the concept is good. AI art is theft.

What’s not to love about a book about cats! I’m definitely gifting this to my kitty obsessed friend- and I feel like it makes the perfect gift for any cat lover :)

I in good faith can’t rate this book higher than a 1 star because this book is definitely made with AI, there are very clear AI errors & like over half the book without pages and just weird repetitive art.