LA GATETA DE MONET

Animaux et artistes - Pont des arts

by Lily Murray, Becky Cameron

Monet’s Cat tells the story of a magical pottery cat, Chika, who comes alive to explore Monet’s paintings from within. Join her as she visits four famous works of art – causing chaos at a picturesque picnic lunch, getting lost in the smog at a train station, running riot at the beach and making a splash at the water lily pond. But can her famous owner keep up with her exploits?

Featuring beautiful illustrations inspired by Monet’s paintings, as well as gallery pages showcasing reproductions of his work, this charming story encourages even the youngest children to engage with, explore and enjoy Monet’s art.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Childrens, Animals, Cats, Fiction, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 5, 2024

About the author

Lily grew up in the wilds of snowy nowhere, spending much of her time talking to animals and making up stories. She has continued to do this in her adult life, and now writes both fiction and non-fiction books for children. Her titles include big books about dinosaurs, rhyming books about dinosaurs and stories about escapee hot dogs. Follow Lily on Instagram and Twitter @lilymurraybooks

Reviews

[Susan Siow]

Love this charming tale of Monet's art.

[Molly Cluff (Library!)]

So cute--and a darling tool for teaching about art and artists. Monet's porcelain cat comes alive and leaps into all his paintings, and the artist follows. It's easy to feel immersed in the classic pieces when you're imagining walking around in them. I thought the illustrations of Monet and the cat were very kid-friendly and sweet, too.

[Angela]

An adorable and beautiful adventure featuring Monet, his cat, and many of his works of art. A great way to introduce art to children while having a bit of fun as well.

[Elisabeth]

An adorable introduction to some of Monet's paintings, featuring a magical cat inspired by a ceramic one just like it in Monet's home.

[Emily]

This one was so cute and I love the bit at the end that tells the real story of Monet's cat

[Yasmin]

If you're not familiar with Monet's works a fun way to explore them in this little book.

[Julia Buszyk]

Jest bardzo fajna, dla dziecka jest to taki mini wstęp do poznawania sztuki

[Dana Buddenbaum]

What a beautiful way to introduce art history to your little one through a whimsical story about a real life treasured gift.

[Francesca]

A cute story where Monet follows his cat through his different paintings. Also somewhat interactive for kids. This book makes me want to go to Giverny to see his pottery cat!

[Bron]

“I loved it.” Rachel
“It was amazing.” Eva
They rated it 5 ⭐️🐱

[Karen Arendt]

Great introduction to Monet's art for young children.

[Héloïse]

Je l'ai acheté au SLPJ
Vraiment adorable comme histoire et les illustrations sont trop mignonnes

[Jordyn Reddy]

Monet’s Cat by Lily Murray is an adorable book that illustrates beautiful pictures that come to life. Monet is the main character who has a cat named Chika. Chika comes to life with 3 taps of a paintbrush and when she comes to life, she brings chaos. Chika jumps into Monet’s beautiful paintings that hang on the walls, bringing the paintings to life. While, it causes chaos, it reminds Monet of some peaceful times in his life.

[Lillianna Bliss]

5 ★ - (adored, absolute favorite)

Read with twins

[Anitamiarmita]

🐈Hola! Vengo con una lectura mágica. Una mezcla de realidad y ficción para peques a partir de 3 años. Os hablo de #LaGatitaDeMonet
🖌A partir de un hecho real, @lillymurraybooks ha escrito este precioso cuento lleno de magia y aventuras. #Monet tenía una gatita de cerámica que le habían regalado. #Lilly le ha dado vida a esa gatita para llevar a los peques de la casa al arte.
🖼Me ha parecido una propuesta fascinante para la primera toma de contacto de los peques con el arte, concretamente el impresionista.
🐈Nuestra protagonista va a cobrar vida y va a ir de cuadro en cuadro, perseguida por el mismísimo Monet, que va a ir tras ella intentando llevarla a casa de vuelta.
🖌Se encarga de ilustrar esta historia @doodleyboo #BeckyCameron De forma magistral nos deleita con un cuento casi impresionista, con colores vivos y alegres.
🖼Una lectura para embelesar a niñas y mayores, que se disfruta en familia y que no puede faltar en nuestra biblioteca.
🐈Muchísimas gracias a @editorialastronave Ojalá se animen con otros artistas, en casa nos encanta el arte. El ejemplar es en tapa dura y tiene 32 páginaspáginas, en letra mayúscula, para lectores principiantes.

[Becky]

First sentence: Monet was a famous painter with a magic cat. Her name was Chika. She was made of delicate pottery, and lay on a cushion, cool and still, until...Monet tapped her three times with his paintbrush. Then Chika came alive!

Premise/plot: Chika and Monet have lovely adventures together by visiting the paintings in the museum--literally. The two can hop in and out of the artwork! Of course, Chika may be having a bit more fun than Monet--who is chasing her! How much trouble can one cat be?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I liked it. I do like French impressionists. It's playful and art appreciation all at the same time.

[Darla]

An imaginative journey through a few of Monet's most famous works with his china cat Chika come to life. Monet taps Chika and they both go exploring jumping into, through, and out of "The Luncheon"(1874), "The Gare St.-Lazare" (1877), "Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies" (1899), and "The Boardwalk on the Beach at Trouville" (1870). A fun introduction to Monet and his work. Love the colorful illustrations and creative staging of the adventure. If you want a more serious book about Monet, try this one: Mornings with Monet.

[Zan Porter]

oin artist Claude Monet as he chases his cat through his greatest works!

Claude Monet's iconic house was also home to a small white pottery cat. When this cat awakes from its nap and comes to life, it jumps into one of Monet's famous paintings! The cat can't be caught as it frolicks and meanders through Monet's greatest works, always just too far out of Monet's reach.

Inspired by the actual porcelain cat that was prominently displayed in Monet's studio, this book offers a fun feline perspective and is a great way to teach kids about Monet's art. (read less)

[Patricia N. McLaughlin]

This kid-friendly art book provides a delightful introduction to famous French Impressionist Claude Monet and a few of his most famous paintings through the antics of his imaginary cat, Chika. Excellent illustrations recreate Monet’s masterpieces, after some artful rearranging, to bring this imaginative story to life. “The True Story of Monet’s Cat” in the endnotes tells how Monet’s ceramic cat went missing for many years and found its way back to the artist’s house in Giverny and into this story.

[Janet]

Art appreciation of four of Monet’s masterpieces representing his theme range for the younger set. When I say younger I would use this title with grades 3 to 5 as an enrichment story perhaps related to geography or art.
A fantasy using a pottery cat named Chika come to life that leads the reader/listener into adventures looking at four of Monet’s paintings. This pottery cat was actually owned by Monet and displayed in his home.
Gorgeous illustrations very similar to Monet’s style made me wish all art appreciation teachings were this enjoyable and creative.

[Amy]

I thought this book was brilliant! The author takes a true story about a little porcelain cat that the artist Monet owned in real life and imagines a story where the cat comes to life and romps through Monet's paintings. Along the way, the reader gets to really immerse themselves in the artist's work as they study these pieces of art using their 5 senses. This is so clever and cute and the real porcelain cat is at Monet's home in Giverny which I can't wait to find next spring!! So clever!

[Peggy Archer]

MONET'S CAT introduces young children to the paintings of Monet through the eyes of his 'magical' pottery cat, Chika. Readers follow along as Chicka, looking for adventure on a rainy day, jumps into the paintings to explore with Monet close behind. MONET'S CAT is a wonderful introduction for children to art which includes an active story along with beautiful illustrations depicting the art of Monet. The story is based on a real pottery cat that was given to Monet as a gift.

[Debbie]

Monet has a small magical porcelain cat that sleeps on a cushion. Three taps of his paintbrush brings Chika to life and she loves to explore his paintings with Monet hot on her trail. And, who knows, if you ever look at one of Monet's paintings, in places that cats like to hide, you may just be able to make out the small pawprint of a magical porcelain cat. Is it really there or is it just the magic from that little cat coloring your mind?

[Binxie]

The story is cute as Monet and his cat visit four of his paintings. The illustrations are of course, done in Monet's style. Visually Chicka can be found in the painting and in the scene or item studies used in the creation of the paintings. Might be a good resource for art teachers to introduce Monet.

[T Crockett]

This is great! By having Monet's cat come alive and hide in his paintings, it encourages the reader to really look at the details of the paintings. It's like a cross between Linnea in Monet's Garden and Where's Waldo. I highly recommend it. And be sure to read the backmatter to learn the inspiration for the book.

[Cara]

A fun story based on a gift given to Monet - a pottery cat. In this story the cat comes alive and visits several of Monet's painting, making trouble. A fun read for cat lovers - and exposes readers to some of Monet's paintings. Absolutely beautiful illustrations with a playful touch from his come-to-life cat!

[Joselyn Guizar]

I think this book is cute and great for kids to listen to about imagination. The illustrations are great to look at and pay attention to because China (the cat) and Monet are the clearest images than the rest of the people since the story is about them. The way the words are written is awesome as well for example the word "trembling" looks like its actually trembling.

[Sandy]

A cute way to introduce the paintings of Monet to children. This picture book follows Money as he chases his magical cat in and out of his famous works. I did have to explain to my child what elements of the story were real (Monet and his paintings) as the magical cat element gave her the impression the book was entirely fictional.

[Anne-Sophie]

As I massive fan of Becky Cameron's illustrations as well as Monet's paintings I knew I had to get this one for myself. Safe to say I absolutely adore it and will continue to go back and flip through the pages every now and again.

[Peacegal]

3.5 stars--Lovers of cats and art will enjoy this sweet book. Readers are introduced to some of Monet's most beloved paintings through a magical fantasy adventures of a cat figurine who comes to life and romps through the art scenes. Don't miss the real-life inspiration at the book's conclusion!