Ack! Picture book on Bill the Cat coming in September

Ack! There's a picture book coming about Bill the Cat.

Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, told The Associated Press on Monday that it was publishing Berkeley Breathed's "The Bill the Cat Story: A Bloom County Epic." Philomel is calling the book the "origin story of fan-favorite Bill the Cat from Bloom County," and will release it on Sept. 13.

Breathed, who renewed his beloved comic strip last summer after a 25-year hiatus, said in a statement that he thought it was time "that the gentle, cuddly watercolor world of children's literature discover that a quasi-comatose cat's life story is sweetly touching."

Breathed's other picture books include "Pete & Pickles" and "Mars Needs Moms!"

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