Kitten and the Night Watchman

Winner of the Ezra Jack Keats Award and the Margaret Wise Brown Prize

SELECTED AS A BEST BOOK OF 2018 BY THE BOSTON GLOBE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, AND BOOKPAGE

"Empathetic, poetic, and a joy to look at, cute kitty and all." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"This quiet, understated book contains a wealth of emotions." -The Horn Book (starred review)

" Illustrator] Yoo sets a lovely mood, taking readers from sunset to dawn through washes of orange, pink, and blue, the watchman's compassionate demeanor assuring them that all's well." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Yoo's textured, serene artwork in beautiful saturated tones perfectly complements Sullivan's lines and conveys a beauty in the night and the construction site that readers might otherwise miss." --Booklist (starred review)

"This soft, gentle story is a perfect bedtime story for lovers of trucks and construction equipment, cats, and nighttime wanders." --BCCB (starred review)

A stray kitten changes the way the watchman sees nighttime in this tender book based on a true story, illustrated by Strictly No Elephants artist Taeeun Yoo.

The night watchman hugs his wife and kids and drives to work.
All night he is alone.
Every hour he makes his rounds.

He sees the stars twinkling. He hears the sounds of the night:
ki-DEE ki-DEE ki-DEE
shhhhheeeeeEEEERRRROOOOooooommmmmm
Woof Woof Woof

Meeeoooow.

When he is joined by a stray kitten, the night suddenly seems different. Has the kitten found a new home?

Kitten and the Night Watchman is inspired by the true story of author John Sullivan meeting a stray cat while working as a night watchman. The cat, Beebe, was John's companion for seventeen years.

Author: John Sullivan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Published: 09/29/2020
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 8.80h x 8.80w x 0.20d
ISBN13: 9781534480421
ISBN10: 1534480420
BISAC Categories:
- Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Cats
- Juvenile Fiction | Concepts | Sounds
- Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship

About the Author
John Sullivan received the Ezra Jack Keats Award and Margaret Wise Brown Prize for his debut picture book Kitten and the Night Watchman, also named a best book of the year by The Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and BookPage. He is also the author of Ethan and the Strays, Stanley's Secret, and Can I Keep It, Please?. John is a cat lover and tap dancer who formerly worked as a night watchman. He lives in Chicago. Visit John at JohnSullivanKidBooks.com.

Taeeun Yoo has twice received the prestigious New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Award. She has illustrated many books, including Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev, which has been published in fourteen countries. The New York Times called it a "sunny, smart, tongue-in-cheek tale." She is also the illustrator of Kitten and the Night Watchman by John Sullivan, which received five starred reviews and was named a best book of the year by many publications. Her other books include So Many Days and Only a Witch Can Fly, both by Alison McGhee, and Round by Joyce Sidman. Taeeun was also the recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats Award and the Society of Illustrators' Founders Award. She lives in South Korea with her family.