Illustrations were cute. The story seemed long but maybe a physical copy of the book would feel different. I think readers with pet cats or cat lovers will love this story.

It's such a wonderful little book that seems perfect for enjoying the illustrations as well as the soft colors. It's easy on the eyes and ends with more modern research and footnotes about what cats are capable of. I enjoyed reading this. Maybe it's because I read it as an ebook rather than a physical book, but the way the pacing felt like little mini arcs with their own rise and falls, it felt like breathing. And I personally have a lot of anxiety and so it felt like it was teaching how to be still and present as you read with George because it would continue longer than you might expect. I adore that if you are a scrapbooker, you could probably make photocopies of some pages and make wonderful additions or even postcards to friends with some of these adorable pages! The illustrations are phenomenal and soothing and I recommend if you enjoy reading about cats and want to have a meditative experience about being still and present like George.

Read this to my nieces and nephews. They ate it up. The illustrations are fantastic. The story really gives children a chance to reflect and see why they need to sit still and listen because they may miss out on whats going on around them. Recommended.

What I loved most about this book was definitely the art style—it’s so cute and gives you a heartwarming feeling while reading! I also liked the switch from the outside viewer’s perspective to George the cat’s.

However, the different scenes felt disconnected from each other and I was a bit confused about why one scene would shift so suddenly to the next without a smooth transition.

Beautifully illustrated book. I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at the illustrations in detail and, as a cat owner myself, it was clear that the author drew and wrote from a very sweet personal experience.
I would have liked to see more structured story to the writing, perhaps following George during his whole day, from morning to night, his time to play and his nap time, and the time when he is peacefully sitting still and enjoying life to its fullest, watching the cat tv as well as just being close to his human.
A book full of love and appreciation for our feline friends.
I know I will be revisiting the illustrations often.

This graphic novel is a love letter for cat owners who know the life of servitude they have resigned themselves to.

The illustrations are beautiful and original and the story made me smile.

What George Thinks When He Sits Still is a very cute little book with even cuter pictures, about a delightfully happy cat named George. It was endearing to read and think of my own cats and the way they may feel. I also think the art from this book would make very lovely phone backgrounds.

In What George Thinks When He Sits Still, Caroline Bell offers the reader an adorable and beautiful way to view our place in this world.

George, our titular cat, notices everything around him.

He listens carefully.

He diligently keeps track of what he senses.

Rather than get stuck in the past or fret about the future, George feels safe knowing he can always find joy in those quiet moments.
This is an adorable little book and a sweet way to share a heartfelt message.

*Thank you to Chantilly Cat Press and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.*

What George thinks about When He Sits Still is a graphic novel , but I say it's a love poem.

Anyone who owns a cat knows that, in reality, the cat owns us. Not just as his faithful servants, they know there is not much we won't do for them.
But they k ow they are lo Ed, cherished, and adored.

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who's cats feel they have a job. When I'm there, they're job is to protect me and watch over me. When we're not home, their job is to protect the home that we gave them.
A beautiful book with gloriously accurate views on what our cats think.
Highly recommended. Published May 28, 2025

Thanks to @netgalley and Chanrillyor Cat Press for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

“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.