The Life of Riley the Cat

During a leisurely nap Riley awakens to an unsettling noise, while investigating the source she is met by a discourteous crow. Riley is just a kitten and naive to the outside world and questions the crow about what he is. The crow is very pompous in his description of himself and the encounter leaves Riley questioning her own self-worth. Riley sets out to find her purpose and begins her journey into a strange new world of amazing creatures. During her journey she meets many creatures that all have very important jobs such as Simon, the Crow, who is smart and keeps crops healthy; Cornelius, the Spider, who creates beautiful webs and helps keep harmful insects at bay; Felix, the Honeybee, who tends the comb, cleans the hive, gathers nectar and helps the plants to grow which keeps the air clean; and Bernice, the Beaver, who is helpful to other wildlife by providing winter-feed. Riley believes that her journey will end in failure as she returns home, only to meet a curious bat, named Bart, in her own back yard. Bart teaches Riley a valuable lesson about her purpose and the purpose of every living creature.

Julie Akerson Chicos grew up in a small town in Maine, which is where she believes she learned the most valuable lessons about morality, compassion, and how to make the world a better place. She splits her time between Marblehead, MA and Nantucket Island with her husband Ken, their happy son Owen, and their faithful cat Riley.