BILL BAILEY, PLEASE COME HOME

In Stewart’s illustrated children’s story, a home full of cats is also full of adventure.

On Lavender Street, in the neighborhood of Gentilly in New Orleans, situated by the railroad and the canal is a shotgun-style house that stands out from the crowd. This isn’t only because of its eclectic blue and purple paint job; its residents include a girl named Eartha and an entire clowder of cats. (“The home was full of love, music, flowers, and kitties.”) Each cat has its own daily routine. Bill Bailey, who is black, white, and curious all over, loves to take walks and learn whatever he can. One day, he is dismayed by all of the humans who don’t understand his meows, so elder cats Toussaint and Pharaoh offer to teach him music, the universal language. Bill rushes back home to tell his feline housemates the plan and they all excitedly join in on the lesson, choosing instruments for themselves and learning to play them. Meanwhile, Eartha returns from work to an empty house and is concerned by her cats’ absence, so she sings the classic tune “Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey?” to draw them back. She and the cats are reunited as the felines march down the street as part of a second line parade bound to go down in the neighborhood’s history. This first entry in the Shotgun Shack Kitties series is Stewart’s debut and it is delightfully soaked in the culture of New Orleans, from the architecture to the music. Eartha’s quirky home and talented pets are an American Southern echo of Disney’s The Aristocats, likely to captivate young readers who love everyday animal stories. De Mahy’s illustrations portray Gentilly as vibrant, full of color, and diverse. She depicts Eartha with light brown skin and brown hair, and her neighbors with similar skin tones. One woman wears a hijab.

An atmosphere-rich tale with a strong sense of community for music lovers and cat enthusiasts alike.