The kittens came one by one.

"Life is a strange thing. Sometimes there are lots of cats…and sometimes there are none."

The story begins with an elderly couple, Karla and Eric, who are seasoned cat lovers but decide not to adopt any new cats. They are getting on in years and do not want to experience the pain of parting with a pet again. But life is wonderfully unpredictable; you can never foresee what it has in store for you. One evening, Karla encounters a kitten while taking out the trash. The kitten seems to have been separated from its mother, so the couple decides to make an exception and adopt it. At the moment of this decision, they are unaware of the many more surprising arrangements fate has in store for them.

The internationally renowned, award-winning picture book duo Davide Cali and Monica Barengo are a wellspring of inspiration, continually collaborating to create poetic, moving works. The Da塊iMage3 series has already published "The Love of White Flowers," "That Day Without a Reason," and "The Writer and His Dog." And since there's a dog, how could there not be a cat? This year, the two have once again teamed up to create a heartwarming picture book—"One Cat at a Time."

This book is a gentle, healing work that is subtly ironic and tinged with a delicate sadness, telling a warm story of how love will always find a way, even when reason says no. "That Day Without a Reason" and "The Writer and His Dog" delicately portray the daily interactions between humans and dogs, and this time, "One Cat at a Time" is an absolute must-read for cat-loving fans of this golden picture book duo!

Monica Barengo, the illustrator of this book, even mentioned in an introductory video: "This story is about loss, about the void left by the animals we love when they leave us. Things are constantly changing, and we can only do our best to accept change, even though it's very difficult." She stated that when she started working on this book, her beloved dog, Grete, had just passed away. Creating this book helped her cope with the loss of her dog; although Grete is not part of this story, she exists in every corner of it.

"One Cat at a Time" inherits Monica Barengo's consistently soft and delicate painting style. In this book, she creates a gentle, warm atmosphere that contrasts with the melancholic tone of Davide Cali's story text. The book not only features adorable kittens, but also meticulous details in the depiction of scenes and the handling of light and shadow, while the lively and everyday dialogues of the elderly couple in the book are the perfect finishing touch!

　　"Shall we get a kitten?"
　　"Why?"
　　"I just want another one."

There's no need for a reason to want a cat, or rather, the desire to have a cat is reason enough. The conversations between the elderly couple, Karla and Eric, are very practical. Whether you're a dog person or a cat lover, if you've ever experienced living with a beloved pet, you'll surely resonate with the words and story in this book. "One Cat at a Time" is just such a work—beautiful, delicate, profound, and comforting.