I was born in 1963 in Princeton, New Jersey, which back then was a quiet college town, surrounded by old farmland slowly giving way to housing developments. I spent a lot of time building dams and forts in the woods across the street with my best friend, inventing things, and writing and drawing with my older sister. At various times during my childhood, we had newts, gerbils and rabbits as pets. When I was in fifth grade, an author and illustrator visited my school, and I was amazed that one could have a job writing and drawing. I wished it could be my job! But I didn’t think I was good enough at either writing or drawing to even try.
I had always liked to draw, though, and kept doing it just for fun. During high school, I also painted with oil paints and made stained glass windows. I actually sold some, too—my first taste of self-employment. I went to Brown University after high school, where I studied Psychology and British and American Literature. I began to think about what I really wanted to do for a career, and what I really wanted was something that involved art. So after graduation from college in 1985, I moved to Boston to study drawing and painting at the Boston Museum School (also known as the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston).
At the Museum School, I started getting paintings in exhibitions and won a few prizes, and then was able to get political illustrations published in the Christian Science Monitor and the Boston Globe.
Suddenly I had a career as an editorial and political illustrator, working with a lot of magazines and newspapers. In 1989, I illustrated my first book, Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Missing Eye, with Houghton Mifflin Company in Boston.
Since then, I've illustrated some twenty books, including my newest one, Bats at the Library, which I also wrote. My other three written-and-illustrated books to date are the New York Times bestseller, Bats at the Beach, Hamlet and the Enormous Chinese Dragon Kite, and Hamlet and the Magnificent Sandcastle.
I also get lots of work published in Cricket, Spider, Ladybug and Babybug magazines, and I enjoy visiting schools to work with students on writing and illustrating stories.
I live in a seaside town in Massachusetts with my wife, my daughter, two cats and a hamster. My hobbies are bicycling, woodworking, and tending a big vegetable garden behind the house. I’m very interested in old-fashioned food preparation, too, and sometimes make my own cheese, kimchi and other things (including a drink called switchel, which I kind of liked but which everybody else in my family thought was nasty).
I also read a lot, which I think is important—it keeps my imagination going, and leaves me feeling much more relaxed than television does!
I don’t usually add picture books to goodreads but I’ll make an exception because, from the bottom of my heart, if this is not a Caldecott book I don’t know what the award is for. Simple and lovely literal cat and mouse chase through the art pieces at the Met, where every page is an illustration of the chase AS PARTS OF THE ART, where EACH PIECE IS ADAPTED IN ITS ORIGINAL MATERIALS AND STYLES, from ink paintings to a medieval saint’s portrait to illuminated manuscript to Egyptian tablets to ancient pottery. It’s such an exuberant experiment and celebration of art while also being a fun little story that should work well for kids. I haven’t felt really blown away by a picture book in a minute but it’s sweet and fun and jaw droppingly gorgeous. the energy and skill and playfulness of this book is outstanding, and I want EVERYONE TO KNOW.
man seemed to have gotten bored w regular illustration and was like, I need a challenge. this book has the kitten character jump between different pieces of art that exist at the met museum and he not only imitates the styles but actually made and then photographed every art piece featured. he made (multiple) sculptures, he constructed masks, he carved animals, he painted, he made god damn stained glass even, what the hell. it was all beautiful and impressive and the story is also very, very cute. this is very clever and masterfully skilled. loved it!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars : Review from Myself and My 10 Year Old Daughter
If there’s a cat on the cover or the story centers a cat, we are picking it up for bedtime, immediately. 🐱✨
Things I loved: - The artwork is beautiful
- This is the first children’s book I’ve read where physical art was incorporated directly into the pages. It is very unique and cool. Including: sculptures and real pieces woven into the storytelling.
- There’s historical art featured throughout as the cat basically time travels through portraits trying to catch a mouse. Watching the cat move through different eras and artistic styles made it feel layered and educational.
- It turns a simple cat-and-mouse chase into something artistic and immersive.
Absolutely gorgeous! And then you get to the end of the book and read about how the art work for the book was created! Wow! It’s also a fun story about a cat who disappears somewhere inside the house for hours, only to reappear in time for dinner. Every cat lover has been there.
This was a marvelous book! From the book jacket “ when the quick footed mouse seems to slip into a picture on the wall, the captivated kitten has to follow, through time and history and nine masterpieces of art from around the world in this astonishing celebration of creativity and curiosity.” The author and illustrator Brian Lies actually created the masterpieces that he replicated from the Metropolitan Museum of aArt, and all of the illustrations of the cat chasing the mouse through the artworks are made by him. Some are sculptures. Some are stained glass, paintings, ink drawings. They are fabulous.
This captivating picture book is about a cat that gets lost while chasing a mouse (or mice). The story takes the reader through history and into 10 art masterpieces. The highlight for me, the adult reader, is at the back of the book, "Making the Art of Cat Nap," where the author explains his process in creating each page and recreating the famous art pieces for the book. I appreciated the story's journey far greater after understanding the meticulous details that went into its creation.
Wow! Such an amazingly illustrated book. I hope this wins many awards. Brian Lies is extremely talented, so much hard work went into making Cat Nap. My adult son read this too and said it was very cool how Kitten jumped into different artworks.
5 for story and illustrations. A cat wakes up from a nap and sees a mouse. The cat chases after the mouse and jumps into multiple paintings/pieces of art along the way. The cat gets a little lost but finally makes it back home and out of the art/into its original world. Introduces children to mixed media art and different art styles/time periods worldwide through a simple story about a cat chasing a mouse.
1-3 sentences per page. Could be used for storytime for mixed family, preschoolers, or older kids (I think it’s cool to introduce children to mixed media and telling them that some dude created ALL THAT ART BY HAND)!
This book’s art is AMAZING. IT’S WILD. SOMEONE GIVE THIS GUY AN AWARD. The back matter states “The illustrations in this book were all created by the artist in his home studio in Massachusetts, and the skills he used included carving hieroglyphics in plaster, gilding a fourteenth-century icon, illuminating a manuscript on goatskin parchment, carving wood, and more.” There are pictures of the artist making the art scene in the book (gold leaf painting, clay sculptures, hot iron/solder for stained glass, carving plaster) and he also provides a list of information about the real pieces of art he made copies of in the book and their corresponding images. I adore his message to children encouraging them to practice if they like making things, and that they should do things they enjoy because they’re fun/satisfying. He encourages children with the idea of “If people before us could do it, why not me? Why not you?” Fostering kids’ creativity and willingness to try new things and to create in this age of AI is important!
I appreciate that the artist used works from different time periods, different cultures, and different media styles. It’s quite diverse – Egypt (limestone, paint, carvings), French (ink, paint, parchment), Mexico (ceramic vessel), Maryland (by an African American folk art painter, oil painting), Ivory Coast (mask, carved wood with paint), Germany (glass, lead, silver stain, stained glass panel), Japan (ink on paper), New Mexico (oil on canvas), Italy (tempera paint on wood panel, gold leaf), and another from Egypt (ceramic).
Only looking at the illustrations, you can understand the entire story.
The cover and back cover show an image of the cat in an art frame trying to catch a mouse. The title is written in a creative way, with the different art styles shown in the style of each letter. Under the dust jacket of the book, the illustration is a packed crate, similar to one you would see when transporting art goods. The end papers are a solid color. Paper quality is glossy and good quality. Illustrations merge with the gutter smoothly.
Color: The illustrator’s use of color fits the words and the time period/culture readers are transported into per page. There are cultural associations with the colors used – the color palette fits the specific art style (for example, for the Japanese painting, the illustration only uses black ink on Japanese paper (washi). The colors used throughout the book are predominantly warm or neutral (black, brown, gray, white, tan). The color reproduction is high.
Line: There are both straight lines and curved lines, with a mix of line thickness based on the art style he is recreating.
Shape: Shapes are used according to the art style he’s recreating and further bolster his art and the readers’ connection to the time period and the underlying story.
Texture: Texture really comes out in this work. The illustrator uses shadows/color/lines to create the perception that the art is coming to life. The linework also indicates motion/direction. The detail used for the different art pieces shine – I feel like I can touch them, and part of that comes from the shadow/lighting, the realistic background, the use of space, the placement of illustrations, and what is positioned at the forefront/center of the spreads.
Dominance: The cat and the mouse dominate the illustrations, but the different pieces of art also dominate the scene depending on the page. When considering size, the biggest things in the frame tend to be the art piece and the cat, and the focal point of illustrations is the interaction of the cat with the art piece.
Text: The text is integrated into and around the illustrations – appearing within the hieroglyph art piece, outside, and between the images. The typeface is san seriff and is modern but simple.
Composition: White space is used cleverly – there is white space in between the cat jumping art pieces/frames. The illustrations work seamlessly with the page turns of the book – oftentimes the cat is about to jump out of the frame/page and into the next frame/page.
Overall: A masterpiece that blows my mind.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Kitten takes readers on a fun adventure with easy prose and jaw-dropping artwork. If you have ever doubted the work and love that goes into creating a picture book, wait until you see the images in Cat Nap! Author and artist Brian Lies painstakingly recreated ancient artifacts to have real pieces to create the path for Kitten and mouse. So, start your read of Cat Nap by skipping to the article at the end, Making the Art for Cat Nap. Readers get a fantastic explanation of the creation of the incredible artwork that Kitten jumps through on his journey while chasing the mouse—and an adamant statement about the fun and satisfaction of creating the art yourself rather than letting AI do the work.
Kitten is happily napping when a mouse runs across the sofa and into a framed poster from the metropolitan museum of art; the chase is on! They travel into various pieces until they are eventually separated and the kitten returns home. So cool that the artist recreated the art selections (annotated in the back matter) placing Kitten and the mouse within. Love how Lies explained the different mediums he used, saying it would be too easy to use AI, but the bit would be a computer creating the image, not himself.
A VERY cool book with a cat that travels through several different art styles. I was super impressed that the illustrator took photos of different art techniques. Highly recommend as a read aloud for art teachers.
Follow curious kitten as he slips into a picture on the wall. Chasing a mouse. kitten travels through time and 9 masterpieces found at the MET. The author's note about making the art is fascinating and inspiring. Absolutely spectacular! Deserves a Caldecott.
One of the coolest picture books ever! This mixed-media masterpiece is a celebration of art through the ages and a testament of human ingenuity. It's a simple story about a cat chasing a mouse, but the twist is that this chase occurs while they're hopping between artworks in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And the coolest part of it all is that Brian Lies recreated all of the artworks featured in this book himself, by hand. Give this man a Caldecott award!
A fun story with a sprinkle of art history mixed in...I appreciated the story even more after reading the author's note about all the work he put into creating this tale. A must read for sure!
This book should win a Caldecott. Cat and mouse play a game of chase throughout famous paintings at a Met exhibit. Art is exquisite and none is done digitally. It’s all created by the illustrator using different art media such as oil, paints, glass, colored pencil, wood, and clay. Would be great to use with an art history class.
Absolutely gorgeous. I love everything about this. The perfect picture book where it's great on first read but also so rich it rewards closer and repeated reading. The author's note is a must as well with Lies talking about his process including photos as well as the value in making and creating. Yay!
Cat Nap is one of the most exciting picture books I've seen in all my years of publishing (over 40!). Kitty is pure cat--curiosity, fierce focus on the hunt, lithe acrobatics, and a delightful vulnerability and need for cuddles, food and home that every child will share. The amazing art (Lies is a genius in any medium, be it stained glass, ceramics, wood carving, painting or bas relief carving) comes alive as Kitty and mouse run thru. Cat Nap is a brilliant introduction to art, that also stands as a delightfully complete story arc about adventure and home. Coming September 30. Congratulations, Greenwillow!
One of two of my daughter’s favorites this year. And as a precious museum studies masters student, I had to give it 5/5. I loved that she loved this (she’s three). And my inner child enjoyed it too!! Brilliant
Yesterday (September 30, 2025) I attended Brian Lies’ launch of Cat Nap. I went to the event to support Brian but didn’t intend to purchase any books. The children in my life, who have loved the stories and art in Brian’s Bat series and The Rough Patch, are now past the children’s book stage. To my surprise and delight, at the end of the event I purchased three copies of Cat Nap, and I expect I’ll purchase more in the future. I believe Cat Nap has a very bright future and will be loved by people of all ages. I expect it will inspire the creative people in my life to dream even bigger and become even more creative, whether they are still in the children’s book stage of life or passed it twenty, or even fifty years ago. I bought a copy to inspire me! Cat Nap shares the dream of a delightful grey cat named Kitten. Brian began the launch session by reading Kitten’s dream story and showing us the glorious illustrations in Cat Nap. Many of the items captured in the illustrations, replicas of treasures at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, were on a display table in the front of the room. I hadn’t given much thought to the display. Then, Brian blew me away. He told us of the techniques he had learned and the work he had done to create each of the items on the table before us, the items in the Cat Nap illustrations. They included limestone carvings, sculptures, stained glass panels, paintings that included gold leaf, ink and paper drawings, and oil paintings. Of course, Brian had created these replicas – Kitten had found his way into them! Brian observed that the original museum pieces had all been created by people, so he believed he would be able to create them as well, and we will also if we make the effort to learn how. I’d known Brian created more than his very successful stories and book illustrations. He’d carved an impressive replica of Noah’s ark, built and drawn the backdrop used for our Christmas pageant at church each year, and painted some traditional oil paintings that appeared to me to be quite excellent. However, the creation of these replicas for Cat Nap used an amazing variety of techniques. Brian shares a brief version of his creative experiences in the back of this beautiful book. I’m confident children will love Cat Nap – in my experience they love all Brian’s books. If you’d like to inspire your own creativity, you’ll love Cat Nap also.
I think this book is great for older elementary readers but for younger readers, I think it needs to be explained to them. My 3-year-old grandson picked it out as it had a cat on the cover and well, it was a bit slow for him. I added a few words here and there as we read, relying on the illustrations to tell the story, so he did enjoy the story by the time we got to the end of the book.
Mouse wants to remain undetected as he slips into the painting on the wall, but Cat sees him and follows. Yes, they both go into the painting. Going into the painting, they come out on the other side of the wall, into another piece of art. This art is a limestone carving which they end up destroying. This artwork is supposed to be carved but somehow the cat, the mouse, and the rats which are in the carving have knocked the items in the carving down. The chase is on!
Cat continues to chase mouse everywhere! Cat ends up having a conversation with a clay dog, an ornamental mask, and multiple pictures. Cat is on the prowl. Does he ever catch the mouse? Will he ever get back home?
I enjoyed the concept that the author had with this book. Altering items that the cat and mouse encountered in the book was very entertaining and creative. I appreciate the author’s notes at the end of the book as he shows the reader how he made the art to complete this book. Sure, he could have relied on AI or computer images but as the author notes, “where’s the satisfaction in that?” The author goes on to say that if you like to make things, keep practicing. Use your imagination to create an idea and then take the time developing the skills to create what you want. “You can make pretty much anything you want to, if you teach yourself how.” There’s also information on the actual art pieces that the author used in his book.
Interesting concepts and a book that should be appreciated for what it does.