The Truth about Max

A never-before-published original work from renowned children's book duo Alice and Martin Provensen, which invites into the mystery that is Max the cat!

A Publishers Weekly 2023 Summer Read, with starred reviews from Kirkus and PW!

In this picture book from the Provensens' archives, the unforgettable Max, who appears in many of the Provensens' picture books, takes center stage. Wherever Max goes, mischief is sure to follow! He spends his days teasing, playing hide-and-seek, and prowling the barnyard. He's also keenly intelligent and independent, with his own private life that begins at night. An affectionate portrait of a pet who's both friend and hunter, from a luminary author-illustrator pair of American children's literature.

Taking inspiration from their own life at Maple Hill Farm in Dutchess County, New York, great American illustrators Alice and Martin Provensen shared the changing seasons that give rhythm to life in the country in A Year at Maple Hill Farm and the lovable antics of their barnyard animals in Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm. This picture book will include backmatter from Karen Provensen, with more information of Max, the real-life cat who lived on Maple Hill Farm, and her parents' lasting legacy.

Alice and Martin Provensen were an American husband-and-wife team of artists and illustrators. Together, they illustrated over 40 children's books, 19 of which they also wrote and edited. Beloved illustrators, they won a Caldecott for The Glorious Flight and a Caldecott Honor for A Visit to William Blake's Inn, and eight of their books were selected by the New York Times as Best Illustrated Books of the Year. For many years, they lived at Maple Hill Farm in Dutchess County, New York, which they immortalized in picture books A Year at Maple Hill Farm and Our Animal Friends.