Abstract

The first installment in Yuichi Kimura's picture book series starring his own beloved cats!

One day, Nonpi invites Dante to go outside.
However, Dante keeps making excuses and refuses to step foot outdoors.

"Hey Dante, let's go outside!
There are so many pretty flowers out there."
"If it's flowers you want to see, I can see them right from this window."

Will Nonpi ever manage to get Dante outside...?

Nonpi, a cat who energetically runs around outside every day, and Dante, a cat who has never stepped foot outdoors.
A lively and hilarious slapstick comedy brought to you by two total opposites!

A Message from Author Yuichi Kimura:
Nonpi and Dante are two cats who actually lived in my home.
When I got married, my cat, Nonpi, and my wife's cat, Dante, started living under the same roof.
Dante had always lived in apartments and had never been outside, while Nonpi, a former stray, wanted to go out for a walk every single day.
What happens when two cats like this live together?
They got along in their own way, maintaining a subtle yet comfortable distance.
Nonpi, despite being small, was feisty—a neighborhood bully who would chase other cats around.
Dante, on the other hand, had never interacted with another cat before.
Yet, even though Nonpi was the big boss outside, he was helpless against Dante inside the house.
Dante was always chasing Nonpi, and Nonpi could never win against him.
I had always wanted to turn this duo into a picture book someday, and today that dream has finally come true.
I hope you look forward to more stories starring these two!

Author’s Information

Yuichi Kimura
Born in Tokyo. Graduated from Tama Art University. Picture book and children's story author. Active across a wide range of fields, including playwriting, comic writing, and novels, with over 1,000 published books both in Japan and abroad. His representative works include the One Stormy Night (Arashi no Yoru ni) series (Kodansha) and the Baby Play Picture Book series (Kaiseisha). He won the 26th Kodansha Publication Culture Award for Picture Books and the 42nd Sankei Children's Book Award JR Prize for One Stormy Night, as well as the 15th Japan Picture Book Award for King Wolf (Ookami no Ousama, Kaiseisha).

Shinobu Orito
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Tokyo Metropolitan University, worked as a systems engineer at an IT firm. Transferred to graphic design and went independent in 2019, beginning a career as an illustrator and designer. Involved in a wide range of illustration work, including children's magazine illustrations, educational material art, and cover artwork for Jiro Akagawa's Bride (Hanayome) series (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha). Also active as a picture book creator, with works including Moyamoya Suru no wa Uso no Sei? (Shonen Shashin Shinbunsha) and Taisetsu na Fuku (NICOMO).