In the January/February 2014 issue of Chirp Magazine for kids aged 3 to 6, it’s “Time for Bed.” And what is bedtime without a story? Chirp says, “Looking for a good bedtime book? Check out Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That by Victoria Allenby. This cat can sleep through anything!”
Click here to learn more about Chirp.
“…The text is just right for little ones, and for those wanting to read books on their own. It evokes movement, and typical feline behaviors. The mixed media artwork (pencil crayon, watercolor, gouache, acrylics and glaze) adds charm and delight to the reading. The bright colors and textured images are sure to interest young listeners, while adding a parallel story to the one told in words.
They are sure to want to hear it again and again. So, be prepared!”
Click here to read the full review.
“Nat the cat is an expert sleeper…most of the time.
In the morning, the humans in the family bump and clatter and honk and hurry, but from somewhere comes a snore. Who could that be? It’s Nat the orange tabby cat; he can apparently sleep anywhere. “Flopping halfway off a shelf, / Folded over on himself, // With his paws all tucked inside, / Or with limbs flung open wide— / Nat the cat can sleep like that!” He can sleep through anything and almost anywhere—but when night comes and the house is quiet, Nat springs into action; he can never sleep through the night. And his humans probably don’t either, since Nat plays with someone’s toes in bed, races down a shadowy hallway and even rides a hobbyhorse. Canadians Allenby and Anderson have captured a cat any young ailurophile will recognize. The simple rhyming text listing the odd (yet realistic) places Nat can sleep during the daytime and all the silly mischief he and his black-and-white kitten sidekick get up to at night will hook young listeners. The watercolor, acrylic and pencil illustrations of floppy, goggle-eyed Nat and his buddy are a just-right pairing.
Good kitty fun that will demand repeated reads. (Picture book. 3-6)”
Saturday November 30th is the annual celebration of Indies First, a movement started by Sherman Alexie to have authors and illustrators support independent bookstores by hand-selling books for the day. Hundreds of bookstores and authors have participated in this event since its inception.
This year marks the first time Canadian independent bookstores are getting involved. Pajama Press is lucky enough to have three of our own taking part:
Stephanie McLellan, author of Hoogie in the Middle and Tweezle into Everything
Tara Anderson, illustrator of Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That
Sue Macleod, author of Namesake
They will be at Ella Minnow Children’s Bookstore on Saturday between 11am and 3pm.
Drop by to ask them for a recommendation of their favourite children’s book. And while you’re at it, you can also pick up a copy of one of their books. It’s all to help support the wonderful independent bookstores.
The Canadian Booksellers Association is planning to make the event even bigger next year. And we’re really looking forward to it!
On November 7th Pajama Press celebrated nine books published in 2013 at the Annual Pajama Press Book Launch and Art Show, an event Open Book Toronto called one of “the season’s hottest literary events.” The launch included great food, Ontario wine, excellent company, book signings, and walls filled with framed original picture book art.
Thank you to everyone who came out to make the evening wonderful, including authors and illustrators Jill MacLean (Nix Minus One), Sue MacLeod (Namesake), Alma Fullerton (Community Soup), Stephanie McLellan (Hoogie in the Middle, Tweezle into Everything), Karen Bass (Graffiti Knight), Tara Anderson (Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That), Meghan Marentette (The Stowaways), and Rob Laidlaw (Cat Champions: Caring for our Feline Friends). Special thanks to the young Cat
Champions who also came out, to our photographers, and to Claude Viens, chef extraordinaire.
Alma Fullerton and her art. Photo credit: Pat Thornton Jones.
Alma Fullerton, Brian Deines and Rob Laidlaw. Photo credit: Pat Thornton Jones.
Alma Fullerton and Gillian O’Reilly. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Alma Fullerton and Jill MacLean. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Brian Deines and Wallace Edwards. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
Camillia Kahrizi and Kate Edwards. Photo credit: Pat Thornton Jones.
Charlotte Teeple, John Spray and Mary Macchiusi. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Christina Vyhnal, Erika Miklasevics, and Sam and Penny Klarreich.
Claude Viens. Photo credit: Pat Thornton Jones.
Dean Griffiths’ art. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Dean Griffiths’s The Stowaways “Character Sketch”. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
Dean Griffiths The Stowaways “Dedication Page”. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
Cat Champions, Eddie Nikkifork and Jasmine Polsinelli. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Emily and Brian Lindgreen. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Former Fitzhenry & Whiteside crew, Max Arambo, Luana Lindorfer, Amy Hingston and Penny Taylor. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
Gail Winskill and Claude Viens. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
Gail Winskill giving her speech. Photo credit: Lisa Meyers.
Harry Black and Mary Macchiusi. Photo credit: Pat Thornton Jones.
Jane Glassco and Mary Anne Cree. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Karen Bass, Martin Gould, Gisela Sherman and Marsha Skrypuch. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
The crowd listening to the speech. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Luana Lindorfer, Amy Hingston and Max Arambo. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Meghan Marentette and Brian Lindgreen. Photo credit: Pat Thornton Jones.
Meghan Marentette. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
“Or where sunbeams” by Tara Anderson. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Rachel Seigel, Susan Menchinton and Arthur Gale. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Rebecca Bender. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
Rebecca Bender, Eva and Greg Higgison. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
Staff, authors, illustrators and cat champions. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Stephanie McLellan. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
Sue MacLeod, Jill MacLean and Alma Fullerton. Photo credit: Pat Thornton Jones.
Tristan, Erin, Sarah and Stephanie McLellan. Photo credit: Pat Thornton Jones.
“When Strange Shadows” by Tara Anderson. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
“When the Lights” by Tara Anderson. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Aliya Stacey and Rebecca Bender. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Brian Deines. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
Erin Woods. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Gail Winskill, Terry Jones and Liz Sloan. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Karen Bass. Photo credit: Ellen Nodwell.
Kieran Zierer Clarke. Photo credit: Paul Wilson.
Victoria Allenby is the author of Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That, a picture book illustrated by Tara Anderson that CM Magazine has “Highly Recommended” as “a perfect choice for bedtime and storytimes for young children.” This week Victoria chatted with Pajama Press publicist Erin Woods about her own story. This transcript is part of that conversation.
To learn more about Victoria, visit her website here.
We are looking forward to welcoming guests and authors and illustrators from across the country to our Annual Fall Book Launch and Art Show on November 7th, 2013. The evening will include refreshments, book sales and signings, and framed art sales from our talented illustrators. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to erinwoods@pajamapress.ca by October 31st. We hope to see you there!
Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That will be available in Canada on September 15, 2013.
“Tara Anderson’s illustrations are whimsical and fun…Although the illustrations complement the story, they also tell a story on their own, encouraging children, and children and their grownups, to read the story again and again.
The mood of the book is playful, easily appealing to a preschool audience. Victoria Allenby’s title is a perfect choice for bedtime and storytimes for young children.
Highly recommended.”
– Jill Griffith
Read the full review here.
“Tara Anderson[‘s illustrations]… demonstrate her knack for felines. Coupled with Victoria Allenby‘s simple but zippy rhyming story, Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That is a delightful read, perfect for getting your own little ones to bed, whether they be human or feline.”
— Helen Kubiw
Click here to read the full review.
