From 'Arashi no Yoru ni' author Yuichi Kimura, a new picture book series modeled after his beloved cats is born! 'Nonpi and Dante,' a story woven by two cats of opposite personalities and upbringings, to be published simultaneously in three volumes.

Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha, Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Yuichi Iwano) will publish Yuichi Kimura's latest picture book series, 'Nonpi and Dante' ('Friendly Cats Nonpi and Dante: Outside? Inside?', 'Friendly Cats Nonpi and Dante: If You Fall in a Hole', 'Friendly Cats Nonpi and Dante: Let's Go to the Lake'), on April 16, 2026.

This series is a story by a duo with different personalities and upbringings, modeled after Yuichi Kimura's two beloved cats. Nonpi, a cat who runs around outside every day, and Dante, a cat who has never been outside. A lively and heartwarming story unfolds, woven by these two contrasting cats. It is also a perfect work for reading aloud from around the age of 3.

The text is written by Yuichi Kimura, who boasts over 14 million copies of the 'Baby's Play Picture Book' series (Kaiseisha) and over 3.8 million copies of the 'Arashi no Yoru ni' series (Kodansha). The illustrations are by Shinobu Orito, known for 'Is It Because of a Lie That I Feel Hazy?' (Shonen-Shashin-Shimbunsha), 'Precious Clothes' (Nicomo), and the cover art for Jiro Akagawa's 'Bride' series (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha).

This series will be published in three volumes simultaneously. Through different episodes, the composition allows you to enjoy the relationship and worldview of the two cats at once, making it ideal for introducing the series.

A comment was received from Yuichi Kimura for the publication.

　Nonpi and Dante are two cats that actually lived in my house.
　When we got married, my cat Nonpi and my wife's cat Dante started living under the same roof.
　Dante, who had always lived in an apartment, had never been outside, while Nonpi, who was a stray, wanted to go for a walk outside every day.
　What would happen if two such cats lived together? They lived together quite well, with a subtle distance. Nonpi, despite being small, was strong-willed and a neighborhood boss who would chase other cats around. On the other hand, Dante had never had contact with another cat.
　And yet, Nonpi, the neighborhood boss outside, was weak against Dante inside the house.
　Dante always chased Nonpi, and Nonpi was absolutely weak against Dante.
　I had always wanted to make a picture book about this duo, and that dream has finally come true today.
　Please look forward to more stories about these two.

　

To commemorate the publication, a book signing event with Yuichi Kimura and Shinobu Orito will be held at the 'Ueno no Mori Parent and Child Book Festa 2026' on May 4 (holiday).

■Yuichi Kimura & Shinobu Orito Book Signing

Date: May 4 (holiday) 10:00-10:45

Venue: Ueno Park Fountain Square Event Tent

【Synopsis】

■'Friendly Cats Nonpi and Dante: Outside? Inside?'

One day, Nonpi invites Dante to go outside.

But Dante makes various excuses and won't go out.

'Hey Dante, let's go outside.

There are lots of beautiful flowers outside.'

'I can see the flowers from this window.'

Will Nonpi be able to get Dante to go outside――?

■'Friendly Cats Nonpi and Dante: If You Fall in a Hole'

One day, Nonpi fell into a deep hole.

Extending a stick or lowering a rope won't reach.