Winston and the Indoor Cat

A story about seeing what life is like on the other side of the window.


Two very different cats: Winston, a free-spirited explorer; and The Indoor Cat, lover of leisure; form a friendship and show each other how different their lives could be. Can The Indoor Cat be enticed by outdoor adventure? Will Winston be tempted by a life of indoor luxury?

“A story that introduces the concept of being able to be friends even if you have differences in beliefs, values and habits. Both the simple but powerful text and the gentle illustrations in their subtle palette convey a tone of harmony even though the cats are distinctly different.”

Read Plus
Winston and the Indoor Cat is a picture book steeped in thoughtfully designed illustration and charming characterisation Reading Time
Leila Rudge is an experienced children’s book illustrator and storyteller. In this tale her considerable talents are on display. The ink and pencil illustrations are gorgeously coloured and beautifully detailed, while still dreamily producing the suggestion that this is a cats’ world where humans are barely noticed. Leila Rudge achieves this in part by bringing her perspective right down to the kitchen or forest floor where the cats are. This is a simple and magical little book for beginning readers, from one-year-old to five years old, and further if they really love cats. Reading Time
Friends can be very different but there is always a space where they can meet in the middle. The Funday Telegraph

Leila Rudge is the award-winning and much-loved author/illustrator of Ted (2013), her first picture book as both author and illustrator, A Perfect Place for Ted (2014) and Gary (2016). Winston and the Indoor Cat follows in this tradition.

She has also illustrated a number of picture books in partnership with author Meg McKinlay, including Duck for a Day (2010), No Bears (2011), Once Upon a Small Rhinoceros ((2017) and Let Me Sleep, Sheep! (2019).

Leila grew up in England but headed to Australia after completing an Illustration Degree at Bath Spa University. /. She lives in Newcastle NSW.

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