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A Cat Story: A Graphic Novel
A graphic novel about two irresistible cat friends on a journey to find their forever home—a journey inspired by the magic of art and storytelling.
Cilla and Betto are two friends who need a place to call home. The docks in Valletta are too wet, and the scraps of food too scarce. The city’s streets are too busy, and the humans too unreliable.
But what about the quiet garden from old kitten tales—a place where all cats are welcome, and the humans are always kind? Could the stories really be true?
As Cilla and Betto embark on a grand adventure to find out, they begin to spin a tale of their own—one that will take them through the art and stories of many journeyers who came before, and that will bring them to a surprising destination.
Cilla and Betto are two friends who need a place to call home. The docks in Valletta are too wet, and the scraps of food too scarce. The city’s streets are too busy, and the humans too unreliable.
But what about the quiet garden from old kitten tales—a place where all cats are welcome, and the humans are always kind? Could the stories really be true?
As Cilla and Betto embark on a grand adventure to find out, they begin to spin a tale of their own—one that will take them through the art and stories of many journeyers who came before, and that will bring them to a surprising destination.
192 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2020
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5029 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews
October 6, 2020
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this is a sweet middle grade graphic novel about the adventures of a pair of feral cat-besties living on the streets of malta. scrounging scraps from the city’s fishermen and charming the occasional meal from sympathetic humans is all well and good, but there are too many cats competing for the same handouts for it to be a reliable source of food, so cilla and betto determine to locate “the quiet garden,” a legendary paradise “from the old kitten stories,” where they can live out their lives in peace and plenty. they set out to find their forever home—cilla enthusiastically, betto more reluctantly, and they meet many creatures along the way whilst learning some lessons about the world and its dangers.
it’s pretty adorable, and sure to delight its intended audience. for old-folks like me, the artwork satisfies more than the story itself, even if you’re a fogey who still craves animal-adventure tales. there are harrowing moments—especially the seafaring episode—and it is certainly unlike others of its kind, but it just didn’t put hearts in my eyes the way other animal-adventures have. and that’s fine—trix are for kids and all that. i enjoyed reading it, but it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression on me.
one of the admirable bits is that there are a lot of art history lessons in here, as the pair weave their way through famous paintings, sculptures, tapestries, etc, all of which are discussed in more detail in the afterword for budding artnerds.
i’m glad i picked this arc up, and if you know kids who are into animals and/or art, you should for sure press a copy into their hands. and if you’re grown like me, check it out for yourself—i’m in no way an authority on what kind of kidstuff adults will dig. i’m just one of many cat-loving ladies on the internet.
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3.5 rounded up - review pending MEOW
come to my blog!
this is a sweet middle grade graphic novel about the adventures of a pair of feral cat-besties living on the streets of malta. scrounging scraps from the city’s fishermen and charming the occasional meal from sympathetic humans is all well and good, but there are too many cats competing for the same handouts for it to be a reliable source of food, so cilla and betto determine to locate “the quiet garden,” a legendary paradise “from the old kitten stories,” where they can live out their lives in peace and plenty. they set out to find their forever home—cilla enthusiastically, betto more reluctantly, and they meet many creatures along the way whilst learning some lessons about the world and its dangers.
it’s pretty adorable, and sure to delight its intended audience. for old-folks like me, the artwork satisfies more than the story itself, even if you’re a fogey who still craves animal-adventure tales. there are harrowing moments—especially the seafaring episode—and it is certainly unlike others of its kind, but it just didn’t put hearts in my eyes the way other animal-adventures have. and that’s fine—trix are for kids and all that. i enjoyed reading it, but it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression on me.
one of the admirable bits is that there are a lot of art history lessons in here, as the pair weave their way through famous paintings, sculptures, tapestries, etc, all of which are discussed in more detail in the afterword for budding artnerds.
i’m glad i picked this arc up, and if you know kids who are into animals and/or art, you should for sure press a copy into their hands. and if you’re grown like me, check it out for yourself—i’m in no way an authority on what kind of kidstuff adults will dig. i’m just one of many cat-loving ladies on the internet.
**********************************
3.5 rounded up - review pending MEOW
come to my blog!
July 29, 2020
You ever encounter a comic so pretty that it feels like a dare? Like picture books, comics are an infinite juggling act between the eye and the ear. Or maybe I should say between the eye and the brain. On the one hand you have the art of the book. Some of the best comics I’ve ever read in my life have been drawn with an extremely limited hand. They get away with it because the writing’s so good. Then there is the story. Honestly, you could be holding the most gorgeously rendered art imaginable, but if it’s a book for kids then the pretty pictures just come off as a kind of amusing experiment. No more. No less. Adult comics can afford to be esoteric. Comics for kids… well, we just have the raise the bar a little higher there. There’s no room in the children’s book world for authors and illustrators to indulge only themselves. That isn’t to say a comic creator can’t go ludicrously complex with the art, of course. As long as the story can support the extravagance, I say go wild. And were this an official challenge, I’d say that artist Ursula Murray Husted took me up on it. Her debut middle grade graphic novel A Cat Story is a lush, sprawling, ultimately very sweet story of two cats and their search for a home of their own. It is simultaneously the grandest and quietest storytelling I have witnessed in a very long time.
Cilla may be a very young cat, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t know exactly what she wants. What could be better than a place with a bed, fresh food, and that’s safe and warm? Betto isn’t much older, but he’s the more world weary of the two. Thus, when Cilla tells him that she would like to find the legendary “quiet garden" from those old kitten stories, he recognizes instantly that he’s along for the ride. Their search for this happy home will take them into cathedrals, onto boats and buses, into storms and oceans, and finally to the place they both belong. Peppering the story are famous works of art, gracing the story as the cats dodge and weave in and out of landscapes, portraits, and sculptures.
Here is the sum total of all the facts I knew about Malta prior to reading this book: Malta is a place. Follow up point: There is a place called Malta. Highly informed world traveler I am not. Malta, for those of you playing at home, is (according to Wikipedia) “an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast.” Years ago Ursula Husted and her family took a trip to the nation with her family. There, Husted spent hours, “sketching the stray cats that lived on the docks and sunned themselves on the UNESCO World Heritage sites as thought they owned the place.” Of course a part of her stayed with those cats, and followed them into their own private worlds, ultimately producing a whole book about their lives. Considering that the trip took place in 2004, it's always so interesting to me to watch how long it takes an idea to percolate into a full-blown book. Let us hope that the next book for kids by Ms. Husted cuts that time in half (at least!).
A question: Do you have to be a cat lover to appreciate this book? It is difficult, as the owner of cats myself, to answer this question fairly Am I biased in their favor because I look at their furry little faces every day? We do not lack for cats in graphic novels for kids, but have you every noticed that the bulk of them aren’t… well… very catlike? Binky the Spacecat and CatStronauts on the one hand and Petey from Dogman and Lupin Leaps In on the other, the cats you find in comics seem more comfortable in shirts and ties than mewing for milk. Part of what makes A Cat Story work as well as it does is that Husted manages to deftly adapt the curvy, sinuous lines of a cat’s spine to the comic format. Did you see how the simple flick of a tail can persuade the reader’s eye to travel from one panel to another? Look at how the tails on those speech balloons twist and turn as marvelously as a cat’s. On top of that, these cats may talk amongst themselves, but you never have the sense that Husted is projecting human concerns and ideas onto a feline form. Cilla wants a nice home. Betto is happy with the streets. The end result is that the cats’ form and the cats’ intentions ring true. If you were to hand any comic to an adamantly cat-loving kid, this would be the one you’d give.
Of course, the most intriguing and strange element to the book involves its artistic salutes. In her “Art Notes” at the end of the book, Husted talks about the art that is included in this book. “The art chosen for this book is not connected by a specific time period, geographical location, or style, but instead through the story told by the art in sequence.” She then proceeds to give credit to each homage included on these pages. After I pored through the Notes, trying desperately to find a connecting thread, I had to eventually concede that there is not underlying rhyme or reason to the inclusions. They are simply the artistic works that fit the moment, depending on where the cats may find themselves. The end result is that you’ll find pieces replicated in the book that are as varied as M.C. Escher and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, or 15th century Persian tilework and a scene in the Bayeux Tapestry where a comet makes an appearance. This is a book that keeps its verbal storytelling simple and its visual storytelling resplendent.
I don’t think you can define a single type of kid reader that loves comics. They come at them from a multitude of different angles, each with their own passions and interests. And with all the schlock that’s out there, finding the comics that are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, is a special passion of mine. I want only the best comics for the kids that enter my library. And now, with A Cat Story, I have yet another book worthy of them. If children deserve only “the rarest kind of best” (hat tip to Walter de la Mare) then certainly Ursula Husted’s book applies. Gorgeously wrought and tenderly rendered, this feels like a labor of love that will snuggle itself deep into the hearts and minds of kids everywhere. Regardless of whether or not you even like cats, you will find much to admire and love (not necessarily in that order) in this gutsy little book.
Purrrrrr….
For ages 9-12.
Cilla may be a very young cat, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t know exactly what she wants. What could be better than a place with a bed, fresh food, and that’s safe and warm? Betto isn’t much older, but he’s the more world weary of the two. Thus, when Cilla tells him that she would like to find the legendary “quiet garden" from those old kitten stories, he recognizes instantly that he’s along for the ride. Their search for this happy home will take them into cathedrals, onto boats and buses, into storms and oceans, and finally to the place they both belong. Peppering the story are famous works of art, gracing the story as the cats dodge and weave in and out of landscapes, portraits, and sculptures.
Here is the sum total of all the facts I knew about Malta prior to reading this book: Malta is a place. Follow up point: There is a place called Malta. Highly informed world traveler I am not. Malta, for those of you playing at home, is (according to Wikipedia) “an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast.” Years ago Ursula Husted and her family took a trip to the nation with her family. There, Husted spent hours, “sketching the stray cats that lived on the docks and sunned themselves on the UNESCO World Heritage sites as thought they owned the place.” Of course a part of her stayed with those cats, and followed them into their own private worlds, ultimately producing a whole book about their lives. Considering that the trip took place in 2004, it's always so interesting to me to watch how long it takes an idea to percolate into a full-blown book. Let us hope that the next book for kids by Ms. Husted cuts that time in half (at least!).
A question: Do you have to be a cat lover to appreciate this book? It is difficult, as the owner of cats myself, to answer this question fairly Am I biased in their favor because I look at their furry little faces every day? We do not lack for cats in graphic novels for kids, but have you every noticed that the bulk of them aren’t… well… very catlike? Binky the Spacecat and CatStronauts on the one hand and Petey from Dogman and Lupin Leaps In on the other, the cats you find in comics seem more comfortable in shirts and ties than mewing for milk. Part of what makes A Cat Story work as well as it does is that Husted manages to deftly adapt the curvy, sinuous lines of a cat’s spine to the comic format. Did you see how the simple flick of a tail can persuade the reader’s eye to travel from one panel to another? Look at how the tails on those speech balloons twist and turn as marvelously as a cat’s. On top of that, these cats may talk amongst themselves, but you never have the sense that Husted is projecting human concerns and ideas onto a feline form. Cilla wants a nice home. Betto is happy with the streets. The end result is that the cats’ form and the cats’ intentions ring true. If you were to hand any comic to an adamantly cat-loving kid, this would be the one you’d give.
Of course, the most intriguing and strange element to the book involves its artistic salutes. In her “Art Notes” at the end of the book, Husted talks about the art that is included in this book. “The art chosen for this book is not connected by a specific time period, geographical location, or style, but instead through the story told by the art in sequence.” She then proceeds to give credit to each homage included on these pages. After I pored through the Notes, trying desperately to find a connecting thread, I had to eventually concede that there is not underlying rhyme or reason to the inclusions. They are simply the artistic works that fit the moment, depending on where the cats may find themselves. The end result is that you’ll find pieces replicated in the book that are as varied as M.C. Escher and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, or 15th century Persian tilework and a scene in the Bayeux Tapestry where a comet makes an appearance. This is a book that keeps its verbal storytelling simple and its visual storytelling resplendent.
I don’t think you can define a single type of kid reader that loves comics. They come at them from a multitude of different angles, each with their own passions and interests. And with all the schlock that’s out there, finding the comics that are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, is a special passion of mine. I want only the best comics for the kids that enter my library. And now, with A Cat Story, I have yet another book worthy of them. If children deserve only “the rarest kind of best” (hat tip to Walter de la Mare) then certainly Ursula Husted’s book applies. Gorgeously wrought and tenderly rendered, this feels like a labor of love that will snuggle itself deep into the hearts and minds of kids everywhere. Regardless of whether or not you even like cats, you will find much to admire and love (not necessarily in that order) in this gutsy little book.
Purrrrrr….
For ages 9-12.
March 25, 2021
This is a sweet little story about two kittens who go on a rollicking adventure to find a legendary cat paradise. The artist works in tributes to classic art throughout the story in an interesting way. The conclusion informs us of the historical works that inspired these scenes.
June 25, 2021
Cute graphic novel but the story leaves much to be desired. The art is nice but occasionally confusing and a little too “loosey goosey” at times. The story was okay, but the ending doesn’t wrap up as nice as I hoped. There’s no explanation for the quiet garden and Cilla doesn’t learn anything. We are in the same place at the end as the beginning and so it felt like a waste of time. The classical art pieces were pretty neat though.
June 25, 2022
Gorgeous artwork, not just the work of Husted, but also that of all the amazing artists (some famous, some not as famous) into whose panels she inserts her two protagonists, Cilla and Betto. The two kittens from Malta are on a journey to find the mythical quiet garden where they can be safe from weather and hunger and harm, and they encounter other cats along the way who both help and question them (and one who gives answers in riddles like a Sphinx). Although the author is from Minneapolis, the illustrations have a timeless European feel, and she has a thorough explication of the frames of artwork in the historical "Art Note" at the end. A great adventure story and a lovely book.
July 25, 2020
This was so cute! I’m not a big graphic novel reader but I loved this one. A very cute story from the perspective of cats in a beautiful city. A great story on the power of storytelling and value of dreams and friendship :)
May 4, 2025
Very sweet story about two cats in Malta that are looking for a better life, a mythical garden where cats live a perfect life. Amazing art that includes famous paintings incorporated into the story. They should sell it in Malta airport, it is a great book for the country.
December 8, 2021
Cute artstyle but the story was just meh
April 8, 2022
I think the book was Okay! I read it in 2 days. It was really easy to read. And it doesn't take up that much time to read. If you like cats this would be a good fit book for you. Or if you like comics this would be a good book for you. Or if you like adventures this would be a good book for you. But one thing bad about it is I don't really get it. I talked about things that I thought were boring. But like I said if you like the stuff I just listed off this would be a good book for you! But besides that it was an Okay book.
March 26, 2023
This was a fun and adorable read! I debated between three and four stars (goodreads really needs give us the option to give half stars!), and ended up settling on three because of the ending that felt flat to me. However, I really did enjoy this story and I would recommend it to friends who like cats and are looking for something heartwarming to read.
August 17, 2025
Stories with hints of truth in them inspire you to live life beyond your comfort zone, and not fall into complacency. Not every choice will be the right one, but at least friends will guide you.
November 1, 2020
This was cute and I loved that it was set on Malta of all places. Actually I wish I could have learned more about Malta through the eyes of Cilla and Betto. I was very intrigued! This combined a lot of things together and I'm not completely sure it worked for me. We've got a heroes journey, messages about death, messages about being happy with what you have, friendship, and also storytelling through famous artwork. Just not sure if all these things combined together worked completely. Definitely a unique way to introduce younger readers to famous works of art. I might have liked this more if it was more focused on the cats' adventures and less focused on philosophical musings... or if the story was more about cats that could jump in and out of paintings and live inside works of art... I can't completely put my finger on why I didn't love this as much as I wanted to. I will say that this reminded me very much of my beloved Greece and all of their cats which made me happy.
June 22, 2020
Teachers of middle grade students will want this book to capture the animal lovers and travelers in the room. It reminded me of the weird and whimsical tale told by TS Eliot, but set in Malta. My favorite part was the incorporation of famous historical art into the world of the two cats. A list of which pieces showed up was referenced at the end of the book, so students can learn more about the pieces they are intrigued by.
December 4, 2020
Charming and delightful. I loved the way that classical paintings are incorporated into the narrative and the cats can walk among, through and in-between the frames. Stories within stories and layers within layers. Beautiful told, drawn and produced. If you love cats, you’ll love this book.
December 10, 2020
Wowwww, the art and story are gorgeous, and the amount of detail is seriously amazing. I teared up several times (but I almost always do with books involving cats cuz I'm an unhinged cat lady). Highly recommend for a quick sweet little story!
May 31, 2020
A charming story inspired by the magic of art and power of storytelling about two feline friends on a journey to find a forever home.
October 8, 2020
Cats and islands! What more could you wish for?
March 13, 2021
The art was gorgeous, and I loved the references to real works of art!
October 1, 2021
Adding to my favourites shelf. Really great artwork that adds to the playful way the story unfolds and the sweet kitten characters. S’cute!
May 17, 2022
The art was great as well as the story telling and the encouragement to seek the truth, I just wish it weren't such a depressing story overall.
June 16, 2021
A Cat Story is a hard book to review. Meandering and philosophical, the actual plot in A Cat Story is somewhat of a snooze. But it's also mesmerizing, particularly when paired with Husted's absorbing art. Truly, this book is just an excuse for Husted to recreate famous artworks with cats. She basically states as much in the afterword, which is a half dozen pages of text outlining the source materials for her reproductions.
I think I really liked it? It's a soothing read, in a way. The cats are looking for the quiet garden, which clearly does not exist, but the journey is the destination, man. Also: the setting, Malta! What a beautiful place. I want to go to there.
I think I really liked it? It's a soothing read, in a way. The cats are looking for the quiet garden, which clearly does not exist, but the journey is the destination, man. Also: the setting, Malta! What a beautiful place. I want to go to there.
April 14, 2021
Fun middle grade feline adventure that incorporates historical art
August 15, 2021
Cats, friendship & adventure. A sweet little graphic novel with wonderful illustration.
November 19, 2021
Cerita di dalam cerita di dalam cerita—
There are so many cats, I love it.
This is a simple yet beautiful and meaningful story.
There are so many cats, I love it.
This is a simple yet beautiful and meaningful story.
January 16, 2024
Such a cute little story! I'm always a sucker for cats.
March 3, 2024
Gorgeous, gorgeous book! At times I felt like the narrative was too meta for me, but I think the vibe is really good and the story is nice.
September 21, 2024
What a charming book! The story and art was simple, but that was honestly kind of refreshing. How sweet! A celebration of art, friendship, and cats.
July 10, 2021
Spencer rated it 3 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews