Mini casse-tête, Book Cats (99 pcs)

Book Cats pulls you into a library that cats have completely taken over. The kraft box of this 99-piece mini jigsaw puzzle carries the title running vertically along its spine, while the front panel shows, on a white background, nine fake book covers neatly arranged in three rows, like a tiny shelf of its own. An orange cat in a red cape headlines a dystopian-novel parody credited to "Peppermint Atwood," a blue cat posing in front of a British flag illustrates a feline take on a classic English historical novel, and a pair of armored cats decorate a khaki-and-gold cover inspired by an epic fantasy saga. Further along, a white cat with sharp fangs stares out from a blood-red gothic-novel jacket, another crouches in tall grass on an orange cover styled after a desert-island adventure tale, and a dapper cat headlines a gold art-deco cover. The bottom row brings together a stitched-together green monster-cat for a mash-up of a creature classic, plus a whistling cat holding a cup under a starry sky to close out this gallery of hijacked classics. Each tiny cover carries its own color palette, from bright red to pine green, for a set that is as funny as it is polished.

This mini puzzle belongs to the same feline literary gallery as the full-size Book Cats edition (1000 pieces), where eighteen parody covers line up on a proper miniature bookshelf. Like every other mini in the collection, it slips easily into a bag or a stocking and comes in a box barely bigger than a deck of cards, made from recycled board with zero plastic in the packaging.

The artwork is signed Nia Gould, the British illustrator behind the whole Book Cats series, who also lends her colorful feline style to other minis in the Happily catalog, like Basquicat or Vincent Cat Gogh. Her round, expressive line work gives personality to each of the nine cats dressed up as literary heroes.

Finished puzzle size: 10 x 14 cm