What George Thinks When He Sits Still is a gentle, visually rich book that offers a poetic glimpse into the imagined inner life of a cat named George. One of the strongest aspects of the book is its emotional tone, especially the opening paragraph that includes my favorite quote: “Love is waiting in the quiet moments.” It immediately sets a reflective, comforting mood, and that thread of quiet intimacy carries well through many parts of the story.

The illustrations are particularly lovely — warm, expressive, and a perfect companion to the contemplative nature of the text. I found myself pausing to enjoy the artwork as much as the words.

As feedback, I wanted to share a few thoughts that came up as I read. Although the book is labeled as children’s fiction, the language structure and paragraph length might be challenging for younger readers (especially under ten). It reads more like something that would be enjoyed aloud with an adult, or even appreciated by older children or adult readers who connect with quiet, reflective stories about animals.

The book starts with grounded, everyday observations of George, which I found engaging and relatable. But as the story shifted into more fantastical elements — like George as a knight and his owner as a princess — I felt that the narrative became harder to follow. These imaginative scenes were visually creative, but the transition into fantasy wasn’t always clearly framed, so the overall structure felt a bit unanchored at times.

In some ways, the story felt more like a personal collection of reflections or thoughts about a beloved pet, rather than a traditionally structured narrative. That’s not inherently a bad thing, in fact, it can be quite charming. For a children's book though, a bit more clarity or continuity might help maintain engagement, especially with younger readers.

I really appreciated the ending section filled with cat facts. It felt grounded and informative, and provided a nice contrast to the poetic nature of the earlier pages. It’s a lovely way to end — both emotionally satisfying and educational.

Overall, I think this book will resonate most with cat lovers and readers who enjoy thoughtful, gentle storytelling. It feels like a love letter to a pet and I think that kind of sincerity will always find its audience. With a few adjustments to structure or clarity, this could connect even more deeply with both children and adults.

Thank you for sharing George’s world.

The art was the winner for me. This book is so cute and I love George seems like such a loveable orange cat. I wish I had a kitty to boss me around. The poetry was just okay to me but I think prints of the art would be lovely to hang. I like the color choices as well.

This is such a soft, cozy read. George elicits the goodness in quiet self reflection, imagination, and curiosity. The idea that you don't know what's happening in another being's mind and the possibilities are endless in the best way. The art style is so warm and inviting detailing the simple pleasures and dreams of life as a cat. This made me smile so much thinking of my cat and all of the places his mind went.

This is such a sweet story. The illustrations are sooo cute and I love that there's a bit of fact dropping. I also like the concept of being comfortable with stillness. Thank you so much for the arc!

What George Thinks When He Sits Still is an adorable, cozy picture book about finding contentment in the silence and stillness of everyday life. I loved the illustrations and the color palette, both of which perfectly complemented the soft, warm, snug feeling of the story. This book has less of a true narrative flow and more of a vignette style, but the overarching theme is apparent throughout. I can see this being a hit with kids who love cute cats!

This book is adorable! I really enjoyed the illustrations and colour palette - I found it very calming which really suits the message of the book. I also really liked the scientific notes at the end of the book - it’s great that kids can learn more about cat behaviour by reading this! As a cat owner myself, I would definitely buy this book to gift to my godchildren, for example,

What George Thinks When He Sits Still is a beautiful ode to slowing down, explored through the eyes and heart of a cute cat. This story shares the value of stopping and staying still, as well as sharing tips of soothing things to focus on, simply by sharing things that George the cat notices when doing so. An important addition to every collection in such an overly paced, fast consumption based world. This can serve as a great exercise in make believe, with hidden skill building for parents of kids of any age.

This was absolutely adorable. I don't have a cat, but the stray I pet constantly is getting extra turkey tomorrow because I'm so emotional and soft and fuzzy over this little gem of a book.

The writing is filled with love and the illustrations are so pretty and comforting<3

I don't care if you're a child, grandpa, cat owner, allergic to cats, have never seen a cat in your entire life : You NEED to read this.

This is a children's book that is very very adorable, I'm not sure if there was an underlying message I did not get, but I'm betting any kid would fall in love with cats after this. It's such a heart warming book to read through for a child!! Loved it

A cute picture book told from the perspective of a cat named George about slowing down and appreciating the small things in life. The pictures are adorable. Perfect for kids and cat lovers!

What George thinks when he sits still is such an adorable book! The hidden meaning of sitting still when life is too stressful is a great one. Sometimes we just need to take a breather to rest ourselves.

The art in this book is some of the cutest art I have ever seen. My favorite pages were George licking an ice cream cone, George staring at the moth, George with a chef hat on and all of the clouds and sail boats. My absolute favorite had to be the one of George in the catnip garden with the dragon. I see a lot of my own cat on George during certain points in the book. This was such a cute read! Thank you to NetGalley, Chantilly Cat Press, and Caroline Bell for an ARC of this book. This is my own honest review.

Illustrations were pretty and matched the calming objective described. The words were a different story. They felt disjointed and like they weren't quite sure what they wanted to be. POV switches between first and third person frequently. It went from reflective and introspective to cat dreams of adventure to an informational about research into cat's mental capabilities. I think it'd make a good coffee table book due to the illustrations and idea of the message, but the actual execution fell flat.

“I love you. I’m here. I’m yours.”

We could all benefit from having a George in our life.

I didn’t expect this book to move me so deeply, but there were moments that made me—like George—want to sit quietly and just feel. While the structure felt a bit disjointed and repetitive at times, overall it’s a lovely little read with sweet, tender illustrations. I love George and would happily let him sleep atop my feet.

“When George sits still, he sometimes feels the stars in his fur. He thinks maybe the night sky is purring.

Sometimes, he watches you without blinking.
You think he’s just sitting there, but really—he’s making sure your heart feels safe.

When George sits still, he notices everything.
The tick of the clock. The sigh in your shoulders.
The tiny hope hiding in your eyes.
He sees it all.
He keeps it safe.”

I mean… GEORGE.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chantilly Cat Press, and Caroline Bell for the privilege of receiving this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loved this sweet little book, the illustrations were magical! However, the prose was a little complex in places, not as whimsical as I had expected for this story.

GEORGE!!!! As a cat owner with a cat that actually looks like George, this book meant a lot to me. I might have cried and I would surely buy this book. This book explores the thoughts of George, a very sweet and curious kitty. It also discusses thoughts on how cats love us so much. I think it's great, considering sometimes people see cats as unlovable.

I thought the art here was really charming and comforting! I enjoyed seeing George in all his various poses. I didn't like the poetry or prose that went along with it as much, some of the phrasing was kind of awkward. However, this was very enjoyable overall!

This was super cute for and very nice for what it is. Although advertised as a children's book, I don't think I could get my son to settle down long enough to read this with me. However, this makes for a lovely little book for cat fans. It is beautifully illustrated and does convey a bit of wisdome: find some quiet and enjoy the world around you in this busy time we live in.

It may not be anything groundbreaking but I feel as though this could make a nice feel good book that a cat lover can pull off the shelf in times of poor mood to just lighten up the spirits.

This was so cute! The artwork was beautiful and such a sweet story! We lost our family cat last year and I love seeing cats, this book was very sweet and I'll definitely pick it up for gifts for people I know who are expecting

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC. 

It's really heartbreaking to be leaving this book a bad review because I had really high hopes for it. The cover is so pretty and the concept sounded so cute. 

My big problem with this book is that I don't know who it's for. The simple writing style and themes imply that it's for very small children, but some of the language used feels way too complicated for them. 

The writing of the book also felt a little off at times and was very inconsistent and strange. It wasn't very well written. It was nicely illustrated, so maybe this really should have been a picture book. 

I would not recommend parents to purchase this book for their kids unless the kid just wants to look at the cute cat pictures.

This book is really gorgeous, it’s a mix between graphic novel and art, in a easy reading book specifically for kids and I love it so much.
Designed for people who loves cats.