Meet Eli
Eli is The Sleepiest Little Kitten. Join him in his quest to find the coziest place to take a kitteny nap.
Meet Sir Theodore
An ant of the West Hill, with a big rock to carry.
Meet Tumbler
A feisty little squirrel who likes to tumble.
Meet Archibald
A tailless lizard who likes to work out.
A Magical Little Book!
Dive Into Whimsy & Wonder!
Eli is the most kitteny of all kittens.
He runs and he plays. He explores and he pounces.
And then, he needs a nap.
But Mama is busy. Sir Theodore has a rock to carry. Tumbler has tumbling to do, and Archibald has many places to scurry.
Where does a sleepy little kitten belong?
About the Author
Kristine Augustyn is a Los Angeles artist who paints with her heart and lets color lead the way. She believes art is a connecting force, a little bit of magic shared between the person who makes it and the person who finds it. The Sleepiest Little Kitten is her first picture book, written for little ones, for the grown-ups who tuck them in, and for anyone who has ever needed a good nap. She is already dreaming up Eli’s next cozy adventure.
Find Eli Stickers & More on Etsy
See more of Kristine’s art at kristineaugustyn.com
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The Themes
Finding where you belong
Eli searches high and low for the right place to rest, and discovers that belonging isn’t something someone else has to hand you. Sometimes it’s a warm patch of sunlight you find for yourself.
Honoring each other’s space
Mama, Sir Theodore, Tumbler and Archibald each have their own work to do. Eli learns to let them be busy without taking it personally, and to respect that everyone has their own path.
Letting go of expectations
Eli hopes each friend will say yes, and when they don’t, he lets go and moves on gently. There’s no blame and no hurt feelings, just trust that things will unfold.
Respecting each other’s choices
Each character gets to choose how they spend their day. The story shows children that loving someone means accepting their choices, and that their own choices matter too.
Comforting yourself and self-soothing
When no one is free, Eli doesn’t give up. He finds his own warmth and peace, a quiet lesson in self-soothing and self-trust.
Love that comes back around
When the work is done, everyone Eli loves comes to curl up beside him. Love doesn’t disappear when people are busy. It returns.
The Art
I’ve been a visual artist for many years, so choosing AI for the illustrations wasn’t a decision I made lightly.
Eli has lived in my imagination for a long time. I always knew exactly how he should look: soft and fuzzy, sweet and a little old-fashioned, with the warm, gentle glow of the picture books I grew up with. Over the years I worked with two talented artists, and I’m grateful to them both. But somehow the Eli on the page never quite matched the Eli in my mind. And that particular storybook style, as much as I love it, isn’t one my own hands know how to make.
So I tried a different path. I used AI as my brush and art-directed every image myself, choosing the light, the colors, the expressions and the feeling of each page, and revising again and again until Eli finally looked like Eli. The story, the vision and every choice along the way are mine. AI simply helped me bring them to life.
I hope you love spending time with him as much as I do.