Pajama Press

The Canadian Children’s Book Centre‘s semi-annual publication Best Books for Kids & Teens has selected four Pajama Press books in its Spring 2014 edition:

Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That by Victoria Allenby with illustrations by Tara Anderson

The Stowaways by Meghan Marentette with illustrations by Dean Griffiths—Starred Selection

Graffiti Knight by Karen Bass—Starred Selection

Cat Champions: Caring for our Feline Friends by Rob Laidlaw—Starred Selection

Congratulations to our authors and illustrators whose work has been honoured!

“A playful black-and-white kitten observes the ease with which Nat, a larger tiger-striped at, can sleep anywhere at any time of day in Allenby’s well-rhymed debut picture book. In rich hues and textures, Anderson’s multimedia illustrations depict a home full of sunlit rugs, bookshelves, pianos, toy-strewn floors, half-full chests, and chairs of all shapes and sizes—any of which Nat can turn into the perfect place for a nap. Nat sleeps sprawled on his back, curled in a ball, with paw-covered eyes, and in many other feline postures, while the kitten busily spends his daytime hours sliding down a banister, experimenting with a toy wand, and smiling admiringly at his sleepy companion. But when nighttime comes, Nat is finally ready to play, and the kitten has a rambunctious companion of his own at last…that is, until he gets worn out and falls asleep on top of Nat. Sweet without being saccharine, this is a good choice for group read-alouds.”
—Francisca Goldsmith

“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!

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.

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.

You’ve most likely heard of Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That by Victoria Allenby and Tara Anderson, a picture book that depicts a day (and night) in the life of a rambunctious kitten and sleepy older cat. It’s currently available in Canada wherever fine books are sold, and is the perfect bedtime story for cats and children alike.

In an early morning meeting, the playful kitten requested we give them some publicity. Nat the cat, on the other hand, had something simpler in mind: a cozy place to curl up for a good nap.

And so, as Nat dozes in the corner, we bring you these five kitten-approved cat facts: