The narrative is entertaining and ideal for teaching young readers a love of animals and music. The descriptions are clear, emphasizing pleasant environments and aspects such as the scent of flowers. The images are wonderful, showing a variety of felines and musical instruments. The colors are cheerful, and the settings have many details, such as houses, flowers, and animals, giving a vivid perspective of New Orleans. I loved how A.N. Stewart combined the story with a song, making the reading more interactive. In addition, Bill Bailey is a kind and friendly character and a great role model. Children will learn the value of music and how wonderful it is to share moments with friends. -Five Stars

-Diana Lopez, Reviewer for Reader’s Favorite

Bill Bailey, Please Come Home is a colorful blend of cats, colors, and music. The story is simple and interesting. However, the highlights for me were the lovely descriptions and illustrations of New Orleans. The narrative by A.N. Stewart and drawings by Virginia de Mahy painted a vivid picture of the city. Another highlight was the theme song, an adaptation of the classic song “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home,” written by Hughie Cannon in 1902. The song was fitting and entertaining, and I enjoyed discovering such an old song. There are several values to be learned from this book, and I recommend it to young readers who love cats. -Five Stars

-Ann Linus, Reviewer for Reader’s Favorite

The book is filled with multiple delights from start to finish. First, the narrative of natural life is quite compelling, describing a beautiful world of sunshine and animals like pelicans, blue herons, and cranes. Additionally, it introduces young readers to a very pleasing song and mentions some interesting musical instruments that will delight children interested in music. The pictures illustrate the plot brilliantly. The cartoon images of cats, plants, houses, humans, musical instruments, and joyful celebrations are carefully crafted to put the reader in a positive mood. Bill Bailey's cheerful and adventurous personality is also quite infectious and likable. Bill Bailey, Please Come Home is a great gift for youngsters with its enthralling story and pictures. A.N. Stewart does an excellent job of capturing the wonderful charm of animals and the irresistible allure of good music! -Five Stars

-Foluso Falaye, Reviewer for Readers’ Favorite

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.

Kirkus Reviews-Their verdict was ‘Get It’