What a cute book about Steinlen!
Wonderfully illustrated written in poetic prose. The book is a brief intro about the artist and his love for cats. This book makes a great way to introduce children to a renowned artist. As an adult, I love the book but my 5yo son thinks this is a book for girls only. Nonetheless, this is still an inspiring little story about Steinlen. I would even say any ailurophile will find this book enchanting!

Beautiful children's book, the drawings are stunning and nice to have Theophile Steinlen's artwork included.
Perfect for cat fans old and young.

A very charming book about Theophile Steinlen and his love of cats that also carries a message to the reader that they can also "make the world better with music and art." The story isn't what I would call inspiring, however - just your fairly average artist biography, albeit one that feels a bit rushed and disjointed (perhaps because it's for kids?). Would recommend for young art/cat lovers.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

This is both the sweetest and smartest picture book I've seen in a long time. A little girl walking in Paris notices a cat statuette in a shop window and asks the proprietor about it. He and his cat tell her the story of Theopihile-Alphonse Steinlen, a Swiss artist who went to Montmartre in 1881 and drew illustrations and posters for a cabaret, Le Chat Noir, while rubbing elbows with lots of artsy types in the neighborhood's flowering creative scene. And he loved drawing cats most of all.

His art is instantly recognizable, and I loved learning something of the story behind it. The backdrop of Montmartre and charming Parisian streets is absolutely lovely, and this was so inspiring and encouraging for young artists and creative types. (A.nd an amazing early introduction to nonfiction stories!) The rhymes feel natural and there were some truly lovely, memorable lines.

’This world is abounding with magic and mystery! Each thing has a past. Each place has a history! You can make the world better with music and art, if you keep your eyes open and follow your heart."

The Artist Who Loved Cats: The Inspiring Tale of Theophile Steinlen by Susan Schaefer Bernardo was a sweet book full of beautifully illustrations throughout. It's a wonderful picture book, written in a rhyming style for children. It is about a little girl in France being drawn to a cat sculpture in an antique store. I found it fun to read and I know any child will love this book as well.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a lover of Theophile Steinlen I had to pick up this one. Now I do not have children but I feel like everyone should no matter their age should be familiar with his work. I enjoyed that Steinlen's story is being told to a young girl by a cat. It is so whimsical and the illustrations are beautiful. One of the great things with this very short children's book is that you are introduced not just to his story but also his art and some of his contemporaries. If you have a budding artist or Francophile pick this book up.

I adore all things cat – well, maybe not the litter box but most things cat. Of course when I saw this book cover, I knew that I needed to check it out. C’est adorable! C’est charmant. C’est rempli de chats. Je l’adore. Mes chats l’adorent aussi. J’ai aimé chercher les petits chats sur chaque page. J’ai particulièrement aimé les chats qui dansent la can-can. Le chat noir qui est narrateur est fantastique. Je dois aller le lire à nouveau.

(Subtitles ON: It’s adorable. It’s charming. It’s filled with cats. I adore it. My cats adore it too. I enjoyed looking for the little cats on each page. I especially loved the cats dancing the can-can. The black cat who narrates it is fantastic. I must go and read it again.) B

What a cute children's book! It is pretty, informative and the story is lovely. Children and their parents or teachers will learn about Theophile Steinlen (whom I didn't know) in a fun and engaging way. The text is well written and the illustrations are gorgeous!
A must for children and for all cat lovers!

I love children books as an adult!
This one didn't disappoint, the story was beautifully written, and the illustrations were magnificent!
Very inspiring gift to give to the little creative ones!

A delightful book about cats and artists. Reminiscent of the Madeleine books, beautifully illustrated with cats abounding and lots of hidden detail to discover. A insightful retelling of the career of Theophile Steinlen and the story behind the Chat Noir. For anyone, who loves cats, Paris and art, a treat for readers of all ages.
.With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. An absolute treat!

"How does an artist begin to make art?"
Steinlen just wanted to draw whatever caught his eye from everyday life. And he loved painting cats. His posters are quite famous. I loved the artstyle of this children's book as it pair rather nicely with the artist whose story it describes.
I'd like to thank netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I thought this book was going to be longer since I found the ebook in the biography section, however, it is a beautiful story! This is perfect for young children t0 learn about a famous artist from a cat.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The Artist Who Loved Cats" was a short read, but definitely worth it. Most people have probably seen Steillen's work on posters or in books, but know little about this artist. This picture book is intended for children, but anyone who loves art or cats would enjoy it.

The illustrations are in full color, and the artwork is quite enjoyable. The text is written in rhyme, which also makes it fun to read. The author included a factual summary about Steinlen at the end of the book. She also included some fun "seek and find" pictures, which I found to be delightful. This bonus feature made me go back and look at the pictures more closely. This feature would also be a great activity for parents and children to do together, and would further engage them in the book. Highly recommended.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Beautiful, detailed pictures and a lovely, lilting. rhyming text. I would definitely add this book to my school library collection.

This is a lovely children's storybook that is also a biography of Fin de siecle artist Theophile Steinlen. Most known for his Chat Noir poster, Steinlen was a prolific and beloved artist who also campaigned for social issues with his art (e.g., anti-war). The book is fully illustrated in a young-child friendly manner with a nice rhyming text to tell the story.

Because of the bright and colorful art, this is nicely suitable for kids of most ages. They may not understand all of it at younger ages but the rhymes and big images will keep them interested and the text is fairly short - just a few sentences each page. The back of the book has more information on Steinlen, some 'hide and seek' type of games (find the objects in the book), and a list of notable names from the era to also seek out in the pagesa la "where's Waldo?".

In all, I greatly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading it aloud with my young niece and nephew. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

A book about such a famous artist deserves a book that is as perfectly illustrated as this one is. Each page is lush with details and style. With this book, children will not only enjoy learning about the history of Steinlen, what he created, and his love for cats, but they will also get a taste and feel for France. At the end of the book, there is additional biographical information on the artist.

Thanks to Inner Flower Child Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

What a fun, playfully informative book! The colorful illustrations draw you in and offer so many details to pour over--great for playing "can you find" with a kid. And the rhyming often left me impressed with surprising turns of phrase. Several French phrases are included (always followed by English translations), so you can also dabble with another language. I enjoyed learning a bit of the backstory to the famous cat painter--especially knowing just how much he loved his work. Great for readers who loves cats or art (or both!).

Goodreads Rating: 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.

A fun introduction to Steinlen and his passion for art. I was disappointed there weren't more examples of his artwork featured throughout, but it was still a fun read, and can be an inspiring message for young artists.

I appreciated the composition of some of the rhymes, where French words were rhymed with basic English ones to help with pronunciation! The story consists mainly of couplets, making it a very quick read. The vivid pastel colors of the illustrations were pretty and eye catching, but aside from the feature of a few of Steinlen's posters on a page, there wasn't any other direct link to his works, so I didn't feel like it introduced readers to his artworks, just to himself as an artist.

The message of encouraging young readers to be creative, making the world better through art, and following their passions was one that probably would work with any artist as the focus, but I thought it was particularly fitting for Steinlen, the variety of work he did, and the time he lived in.

Overall, I wished there had been more sense of the Belle Epoque style in the illustrations, but it was well-done introduction to life as an artist!

“Paris! Art! Cats! What more could you want?” - Inner Flower Child Books website.

What indeed! Sounds perfect to me. Thank you so much to Inner Flower Child Books for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘The Artist Who Loved Cats: The Inspiring Tale of Theophile Alexandre Steinlen’ by Susan Schaefer Bernardo with illustrations by Courtenay Fletcher in exchange for an honest review.

I have always loved the iconic Le Chat Noir poster (I even have it as a t-shirt) but knew very little about the artist who had created it.

This short picture biography created for children was a total delight. The art is charming and beautiful and its rhyming text whimsical yet informative. Every page had me smiling with joy.

I feel the idea of introducing children to art and artists via this kind of medium is an excellent one. I will be recommending this to my friends with children and grandchildren and also suggest it for our local children’s library.

Pros: This book will warm your heart while teaching at the same time. I studied a different foreign language during my school days, but the author offers translation for most of the conversations, which is delightful. I read this to my little one that was confused at first but then said, "mom, it rhymes," so we started from the very beginning and read the book with this in mind: history, justice, and a way of life before our time is displaying throughout this book. Be sure to look at the minor details because you will be amazed at the beautiful artwork. The commentary at the end put a smile on my face because I understood how an influencer was created and formed during that time. To read that this artist influenced Picasso is impressive as well. An enjoyable read for expanding your knowledge base while sharing a piece of history with your child.

Cons: None. However, I almost stopped reading because I thought this book was entirely in a different language, but hang on and it will all make sense.