Kitten's First Full Moon

This adorable story of a kitten chasing a moon is both heart-warming and hysterical. To call the charcoal illustrations simple seems like an injustice because Kevin Henkes' drawings are almost as comical as the storyline. "Kitten's First Full Moon" is about the adventurous night of a kitten who is trying to catch the moon- which it mistakes for a big bowl of milk. If the pure cuteness of the storyline doesn't draw you in, the illustrations will. They very accurately, and hilariously, capture this poor, distressed kitten's feelings as she sprints place to place trying to get some milk. Readers don't have to question why it's a Caldecott award winner at all with this one.

In this delightful picture book, a little unnamed kitten sees the full moon for the first time and thinks it is a giant bowl of milk. She tries everything to get to the bowl but fails. Dejected, she returns home to find ... a bowl of milk waiting on the porch!

The narrative contains just enough repetition to please children but not so much as to become obnoxious to the adults that read to them! As a recipient of the prestigious Caldecott Medal, one might expect mind-blowing illustrations from this book. Rather, the simple gray-scale drawings fit the text perfectly in a less-is-more way. The movements and expressions of the little kitten are spot on, as anyone with a cat can attest!

We read this book one time for the moon festival at Sunday School. We found it again today at the library and I was surprised to find that my preschooler remembered the story from when we'd read it about 2 months ago. She then proceeded to ask to read it three times in a row. With its simple, evocative drawings and a protagonist it's easy to root for, I find this book very pleasant to read over and over again.

Kitten's First Full Moon was an adorable book about a kitten who thinks the moon is a bowl of milk. The little kitten goes on an adventure trying to catch the moon. My four year old son loved this book. He enjoyed making predictions about what kind of mischief kitten would get into next. The illustrations are truly beautiful and I loved the dramatic effect that the black and white drawings had on the story. My son was so relieved when kitten came home to a bowl of milk.

The book, "Kitten's First Full Moon" by Kevin Henkes, is about a kitten who has never experienced a full moon before. She thinks the moon is a big bowl of milk and she is doing anything to get to it. She climbs trees, eats bugs, and jumps into a pond. She feels hungry, tired, and sad. She makes her way back home to find a bowl of milk on her porch. The kitten was persistent and willing to do anything to get what she wanted. I liked the illustrations because they were black and white, which fit the setting perfectly. The message that this book can teach children is when you want something, go for it. There is no harm in trying and even if you do not succeed, keep trying. This book can inspire children.

I absolutely loved this book! This story is about the curiosity of one small kitten, as he searches for the bowl of milk in the sky (moon). I felt that the kitten encompassed the child-like wonder that many preschool and kindergarten age children feel. The kitten's curiosity gave the story an emotional resonance.

I also loved the author's use of repetitive language. After the kitten would again try (and fail) to reach the milk in the sky, the author would repeat: "There was the little bowl of milk, just waiting." Having repetitive phrases added to this book, because it allows young readers to join in with the reading.

I also enjoyed the vivid imagery this book provided. The author used a variety of verbs, such as, "wiggled," "sprang," show more "tumbled," "bumping," and "pinching." These words allowed me to imagine the spunky kitten searching frantically for his milk in the sky. Also, the varied word choice kept the story fresh and interesting to read.

Overall, I feel that this book most certainly deserved its Caldecott Award! show less

In this beautiful picture book, winner of the 2005 Caldecott Medal, Kevin Henkes, captures the sweet, sometimes slapstick struggle of Kitten, who sees her first full moon and thinks it's a bowl of milk in the sky.

Any child who has yearned for anything will understand how much Kitten wants that elusive bowl of milk. Readers will giggle as she tries to lick the faraway moon and gets a bug on her tongue, or leaps to catch it and falls down the stairs. In an effective refrain, the narrator repeats, "Still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting." The winning combination here is the simplicity and humor of the story, paired with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations with thick black lines (mirrored by the thick bold sans-serif show more font) and shades of grey that are as luminous as a moonlit night should be. Full-moon circles and ovals appear throughout the design: white circle full moons on the endpapers, elliptical flowers by the porch, white circles of firefly light, oval pads on Kitten's paws, and her big round eyes (especially when surprised and soaking wet). Children will love Kitten's quest and ensuing comedy of errors, but what they will love even more is that there's an actual bowl of milk waiting on the porch for Kitten. (Preschool) --Karin Snelson From Goodreads show less