I received a copy of this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest review

I was surfing on Netgalley when i saw this book and the cover really sold to me. As a cat person, i've always loved to read anything involved cat and their journey.

Bill Bailey, Please Come Home is a full-illustrated children book about Bill Bailey the kitty who lived in a shotgun shack with a girl named Eartha and a dozen of other kitties. He loved to meow to the neighbours but one day he felt sad when he realized no one truly understand him. That's when the cats in the neighbour prepared this secret surprise!

The story showed two different POVs: Bill Bailey the kitty and Eartha the owner. On Bill Bailey's POV, we're told that there is emotion and willing coming from the cat's being to connect with the world other than the person they trusted. It showed that somehow nature is trying to reach us by sending signal or communication as in this case by meowing. Meanwhile, in the eyes of Eartha we can see affection and love human have for animal espescially pet seeing how much she expressed worry when Bill Bailey and the other kitties isn't home. This book represent the connection between human and animal in a sweet and heartwarming way, it's perfect for children.

Shout out to Virginia de Mahy who illustrated this book! I love how she portayed cat's features in the book with a beautiful pastel-ish coloring. Some of the pages were connected and it showed versatility, for me it was totally satisfying to see.

I believe this is a beginning of a series and i'm looking forward for the next adventure of The Shotgun Shack Kitties!

The story is detailed in such a way that it teaches a huge amount of information about New Orleans in a fun and accessible way. The sense of setting evoked is very strong and it serves as a love letter to the history of jazz in New Orleans and a testament to the universal power of music. The illustrations in this book are unique and absolutely beautiful - I love the colour palette they utilise. Overall a bright and joyous story.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I liked the overall story and the illustrations were adorable. I only struggled a bit with some of the wordiness of the sentences that seemed to hault the story (ex; the scenic descriptions of Eartha on her bike right in the middle of the story). There were also bits where the story pace was choppy, some bits were over descriptive while others seems to rush through plot points without enough description. It was a good story, just feel like it needed another set of editors eyes perhaps.

The writing didn't flow very well and it wasn't well received by the children it was read to. Might be great for those more familiar with NOLA and jazz culture. Would probably do well for a music class story.

What a simply adorable book that combines cats, music and New Orleans. The cats struggle to communicate with the humans until they meet some older cats who help them unlock the magic of communicating through the universal language of music. This was so delightful to read and I think the story of Bill Bailey through the eyes of cats in New Orleans is wonderful. The illustrations are so well done and children will enjoy meeting these characters and following their adventure. Come home Bill Bailey ......

Thoroughly enjoyed this tale featuring New Orleans cats and music. Well done with good illustrations. Thank you ANS and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was not for us.
The story is about a group of cats learning the language of music.
At first my son was really into the book and loved the pictures of the cats, but he quickly decided their were too many words and they were too repetitive.
Overall, I would still say, it's a decent story with adorable pictures.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this free electronic book in exchange for my honest review.

Bill Bailey, Please Come Home is a sweet story about a young girl and her cats, who learn how to play music one day while the girl is at school. I really wanted to love this book because I love cats and I am a musician. But unfortunately, I thought this book was just fine. The illustrations are cute, but they feel slightly unfinished. Also, the writing is a little too clunky and wordy and the text not easy to read over the busy and colorful backgr0unds. Also, the main reason Bill Bailey wants to learn music is so he can communicate with all humans, but we don't see closure of this wish in the end.

The author includes a page with details about the song and the shotgun houses that inspired this book. I do think that this would be useful for a teacher's lesson about New Orleans.

Bill Bailey is a friendly cat who roams his New Orleans neighborhood greeting humans and animals alike. Unfortunately, the humans can’t understand him. Bill Bailey is sad and feeling hopeless until he runs across some elderly kitties who live down the street. They tell Bill Bailey that the secret is music since that’s a language everyone can understand. Bill Bailey quickly gathers his housemates for lessons. Next thing you know, they have a brass band!

A. N. Stewart’s “Bill Bailey, Please Come Home” is a delightful story about a kitty trying to make himself understood. Virginia de Mahy’s sweet illustrations add to the magic of the story. This is the first book in a series sure to delight readers with feline adventures in New Orleans.

“Bill Bailey, Please Come Home” would be a great read for kids who love cats and/or music.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and ANS, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Bill Bailey, Please Come Home is a cute picture book about cats. Taking place in New Orleans the cats search for a way to communicate with humans. The illustrations were gorgeous! I did find the writing to be too complicated for a picture book. I would recommend for an older child.

As both a music lover and a cat lover, this book was very cute! I loved the illustrations and the storyline!!!

This is a really cute book about the power of music to communicate. Anyone who has ever loved a cat has wondered what it would be like to be able to communicate with them. The adorable kitties in this story pick up different instruments, and the illustrations are really pretty.
For people too young to recognize the title, it would be fun to listen to some of the covers of the song this title comes from. I'm planning on listening to some of them, and I've already found Patsy Cline and Ella Fitzgerald. Such an interesting history!
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

As both a music lover and a cat mom, this book was very cute! First of all, I loved the art style! The illustrator did a great job at capturing the whimsy of the story and making the reader feel as if they were in New Orleans. I also enjoyed the story itself. It was a cute way of demonstrating both how music can connect people and that different animals might speak different languages, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t communicate!

It is a charming whimsical tale about a group of kitties learning how to play music. The illustration is absolutely adorable and the main character, Bill Bailey, looks like one of my cats. I am not too sure about the story. It is not so easily relatable.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the eARC! Cat lovers will love this story! Music can join people together no matter what! I did like how they reference music as the universal language- its so true! It is a little on the longer side, so older readers may be able to sit through this book

A lovely, bright and colourful book with cute illustrations, this encourages children (and adults alike!) to embrace music and song as well as paying homage to New Orleans Culture. It felt a little clunky/wordy at times which may not keep the interest of younger children but they would love looking at the pictures!

I have a thing for books about cats and/or rabbits, and I will almost always read any books featuring them!

Bill Bailey, please come home, is not just about cats: it’s about their rescuer, it’s about their desire to communicate with humans, and it is about the culture of New Orleans. I loved learning about the idea of a shotgun house, and thought that maybe some of the interior could have been shown too. I found it to be so well-rounded and enriching. I love the cats’ names and design (including a sphinx named Pharaoh) and in terms of the illustrations, I quite enjoy the idea of focussing the detail on the cats and humans, and less on the background.

Get to know the shotgun shack kitties who live in New Orleans. One of the kitties Bill Bailey finds out the secret to communicating with humans. MUSIC.

This was a fun story for children that introduced them to New Orleans and the importance of music and community.

The illustrations in this book are fantastic. However at times I felt the writing didn’t stand out enough on the illustrations.

In our house we are definitely looking forward to the next shotgun shack kitties adventure.