John Sullivan (17)

Captivating tale of a watchman doing his rounds at night, hearing the sounds of the evening, all while being followed by a small kitten...until she suddenly isn't there. Lovely tale for young and not-as-young, wonderfully illustrated, too.

This touching story based on a true story is about a construction worker who finds a stray kitten. This is a very empathetic book that includes a lot of common feeling of young readers. It is also appreciative of people who work night shift of tiring jobs.

A night watchman leaves his family to work alone at a construction site, "stars twinkle. The full moon shines like an old friend." The hard hard and safety vest will interest some readers while the appearance of a four-legged friend might interest others.

Throughout the text there are similes such as, "garbage trucks line up like circus elephants" or "An excavator bows like a strange giraffe." These might pose a good prompt for students to think creatively about comparisons in their everyday show more experience.

The illustrations are engaging and offer a pleasing light transition from sunset, to a blue nighttime with strong silhouettes, and finally a purple and gold sunrise. Lonely on the job, the watchmen is happy to share his dinner, time, and rounds with a kitten. The book begins and ends with the watchmen leaving his family and returning to it with a new pet in need of a name. It is nice to see such a kind bond between the watchmen and the kitten. show less

A night watchman makes his rounds. A cat joins him. He's sad when the cat is scared away, but before his shift concludes, the cat comes back. I'm glad he took the cat home with him that evening. It's a cute story with a lot of darker drawings because of the night setting.