When the old woman dies, her cat is shipped north, away from the sea and the home he knew. But there is no one and nothing there for him. So the cat leaves, embarking on a journey that eventually takes him back to “the stone house by the edge of the sea.” That phrase is the repeated refrain in this quiet, masterful picture book that follows the cat’s pointed wanderings. He travels through the countryside, small towns, and cities full of dizzying traffic. Kate Banks’s rich, evocative language and skillful pacing reflect the cat’s bursts of activity and also his moments of quiet repose, when the smells and sounds and sea breezes that were once familiar come back to him in memory and propel him on again. Georg Hallensleben’s textured, color-saturated paintings are a lovely extension of the narrative. He alters the size and placement of the solitary feline traveler from scene to scene to further suggest feelings such as loneliness, vulnerability, independence, or contentment. (Ages 5–8)

An unforgettable tour of France

The cat and the old woman have lived happily together for many years in the stone house by the sea. But when the old woman dies, the cat is packed up with her belongings and sent north to the village where she was born. Soon he is forgotten. He walks the streets aimlessly until, spurred by memories and a longing to return to the place he knows and loves, the cat embarks on a journey to find the home he was taken away from.

In lyrical prose and breathtaking images, Kate Banks and Georg Hallensleben take the reader on a journey across the Norman countryside, past ancient ruins, through bustling cities, to the sparkling ports of the Mediterranean Sea and a place the cat can call home.