Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
How incredibly effective are the simple black and white illustrations in showing so many emotions in the curious adventures of Kitten's striving for the bowl of milk! I can see my own children's faces in the kitten as he determinedly leaps for his prize...yet falls in defeat. Each faux pas attempt in reaching the milk seems to drive the little explorer to try even more challenging feats in reaching his prize. And the huge full-page image of despair and hunger tickles the reader to want to share in the hunt with the kitten. This book is begging to be read aloud to a little child, and the words are marbles wanting to tumble recklessly and with delightful abandon to delight the reader and child with lucious language and laughing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I read this book as well but obviously did not get as much out of it as you did. I was left feeling like there should have been something more. Maybe it was the predictable text, or the "cutesy" action, or the simple (in my opinion) illustrations. I guess I should take another look at this book.
Since I love cats and kiiens, this book sounds like a 'must read'. Your word choice in your description was inspiring.
Ann Collet
This one of my daughters' favorite books to read at night. I agree with Tricia that it's a little predictable, but I think it's a sweet story. The humor is right on target for a 3-4 year old; my girls laugh hysterically when the kitten falls in the water. I probably expected more from this book since I love his "Lilly and the Purple Plastic Purse" stories, but this is aimed toward a younger child than the Lilly story. It's also neat how much depth just the gray shading can show, compared with the usual brightly colored picture books!
Carolyn,
Thank you for your comments about Kitten's First Full Moon. I love Kevin Henkes. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, Sheila Rae the Brave and Wimberly Worried are all stead fast favorites of mine and my girls. However, I have not read this one. The description you give of the story and the illustrations lead me to believe it is a departure from the books I have enjoyed from this author in the past. Is this a good thing or a bad one? I guess I'll have to read the book to find out.
Post a Comment