Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Katie

Katie's Sunday Afternoon

Rate this book
Exploring art is fun in Mayhew's fourth book about a little girl who jumps into paintings. Children will come away with a deeper appreciation for fine art, as they join in Katie's museum romp.

It's a Sunday afternoon, and Katie is bored. But Grandma knows just what will cheer her up -- a visit to the art museum. There, Katie once again finds herself on an unbelievable adventure through the paintings of renowned post-impressionist painters Georges-Pierre Seurat, Camille Pissarro, and Paul Signac. Children will enjoy learning about art, as they join in on Katie's exciting journey.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

Loading...
Loading...

About the author

James Mayhew

138 books88 followers
James Mayhew's first book for children was Katie's Pictures Show, (Orchard Books 1989) establishing the long running series about a child's adventures in an art gallery. Many of his books have a cultural agenda and James is passionate about introducing children to art, music, opera, ballet and traditional tales.

He has published over 60 books, and illustrated and written for many other colleagues including Philippa Pearce, Martin Waddell and Jackie Morris.

As a storyteller he has devised and performed a series of sell-out concerts for children with the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra, and has participated in prom performances at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

He has also created designs and illustrations for the Kirov Mariinsky Opera of St Petersburg and in 1994 won the New York Times award for one of the ten best illustrated books on the year (The Boy and The Cloth of Dreams).

He has made regular appearances at the National Galleries in Edinburgh and London and visits many schools, and arts and literary festivals.

James is a member of the Art Worker's Guild and the Society of Authors.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
92 (41%)
4 stars
101 (45%)
3 stars
27 (12%)
2 stars
2 (<1%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Dianna.
1,966 reviews43 followers
March 8, 2019
Katie ends up at the art museum on a hot summer afternoon when the pool is too crowded. Soon she is jumping in and out of paintings and the art gallery is flooded. Such a creative book; I loved it!
Profile Image for Set.
2,196 reviews
September 18, 2019
Beautiful book honoring the pointillist artists that brought us pastels and fluffy soft paintings.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
13.4k reviews486 followers
November 21, 2020
A little art appreciation, a little adventure in the style of Cat in the Hat, an adorable little girl and a nice grandma. What's not to like? A bit too superficial for me, as I prefer art appreciation books aimed at ages 9-12, but still fun for littles and families.
Profile Image for Anna.
2,443 reviews17 followers
July 2, 2018
This is such a sweet story. I loved it. The illustrations and the imagination within the story is fantastic. Such a good read!

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

It's a hot day and Katie goes to the art gallery with her grandma. Her grandma falls asleep and Katie goes to the Impressionist gallery. She visits a lot of the paintings by going inside of them and explores. Such a cool adventure! I felt like I was right there with her.
Profile Image for Busy Mummy.
89 reviews4 followers
September 25, 2018
Again another beautiful story by James Mayhew.

Have read a few by James and they are beautifully written to engage children whilst exploring the arts in a fun adventure as Katie jumps into the paintings whilst her granny takes a nap in the art museum. Curiosity entertains Katie and the adventure begins.

Great for any starter/ introduction for a art topic or lesson.
Profile Image for Jessica Booth.
55 reviews1 follower
June 1, 2024
My children were fascinated by Katie’s adventure at the gallery! When paintings come to life and Katie gets to swim and play with children in those paintings, there can hardly seem to be a better way to draw young children into studying fine art. They may not remember “Pointillism” but they will surely remember the paintings in this book!
Profile Image for Jo Oehrlein.
6,361 reviews9 followers
September 25, 2020
On a hot day, Katie and Grandma visit an art gallery. While grandma naps, Katie visits some pointillism paintings that are set on hot days.

Katie and her friends make a bit of a mess, but a magician helps them set everything back to rights.
2,071 reviews20 followers
November 15, 2017
Ellie and I read this book before bedtime and learned what Pointillism art is. These books are so cleverly written...krb 11/14/17
Profile Image for Sarah.
130 reviews9 followers
February 14, 2019
Beautiful introduction to the art of Pointillism. Cute story with lovely illustrations.
Profile Image for Erica.
28 reviews2 followers
January 20, 2026
This is my first foray into the Katie books as an adult, and I have to say that they are every bit as charming as they were in my memories. My parents read "Katie's Picture Show" to me as a child, and I recall it as a personal favorite. As an adult, I learned that there were more books in the series and grabbed this one from the library because I love Seurat. James Mayhew's beautiful work brings the paintings to life and inserts mischievous Katie seamlessly into their stories. Though part of a series, this book easily stands on its own, and is a great way to introduce little readers to the wonders of impressionist art. And also, it's just a really fun read!

I'm going to add a note to this since I've gone back for the other books in the series - be aware that this and "Katie and the Bathers" are actually the same book under different titles. That way, you don't accidentally buy it twice!
Profile Image for Heather.
1,949 reviews1 follower
February 13, 2015
33 months - This is a nice way to introduce art to a child and imagine being able to explore within a picture. It also contains one of my favorite paintings, Sunday Afternoon... By Seurat. I remember seeing it at the Art Institute of Chicago about ten years ago and it was fabulous, much more beautiful in person. Hopefully O will have the chance to see this in the next few years and we will read this book again before our visit.
Profile Image for FM Family.
1,067 reviews13 followers
July 22, 2020
This is the first Katie book we've read but I thought it was great. I love how it explores art and the world of museums, and exposes kids to some famous works of art but without being overly didactic about it. The story was sort of silly but much like a typical story about a kid with a great imagination. I look forward to reading more and as my daughter gets older trying out some of the different art styles after we read the books.
517 reviews9 followers
January 30, 2016
This is a lovely book with a fun and imaginative story.
The artist does an amazing job capturing the essences of the artists he represents here and he really creates a sense of whimsy and fun and I love the color scheme here, it both fits the art works used and the overall feel of the story.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and adding them to my collection.
Profile Image for Angela.
226 reviews42 followers
July 3, 2008
I loved this book. It may partially be because I'm an art freak.

Katie spends her afternoon at a museum and while her grandmother sleeps she has adventures with the people in George Serat's paintings. It's well written, illustrated and cute!
Profile Image for K Hanna.
4 reviews7 followers
August 2, 2010
This is the first of the Katie series that I've read, and I will read more for sure. I bought this book for a friend's daughter and will introduce the series to my daughter. Great introduction to famous Pointillist paintings.
Profile Image for The Brothers.
4,118 reviews24 followers
February 6, 2016
An engaging story about a little girl who gets into some very famous painting to escape the summer heat. Loved seeing the classic art transformed in the children's story.

Great illustrations.
Profile Image for Shelli.
5,184 reviews56 followers
March 18, 2016
Readers are able to join Katie as she steps through and interacts with several Pointillist paintings at the museum; often times bring them back with her the museum. This is a fantastic way to expose kiddos to beautiful art and think about experiencing it in an entirely new way. Magical.
Profile Image for Christabelle.
408 reviews9 followers
May 31, 2016
Another fabulous read! My five year old "read" this to me from the pictures. It was wonderful! I love how these books engage my children and pique their interest in art. We will be revisiting this one.
Profile Image for Laurie.
245 reviews
November 3, 2008
I LOVED this book!! It's a story about Katie going to a museum and walking into the art pieces and becoming part of them. It was a GREAT introduction into pointillism and Seurat!
Profile Image for Shelly.
349 reviews54 followers
October 24, 2016
Great introduction to the classic pointillist painters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews