This Story Is Not About a Kitten

This tale was apparently inspired by the rescue of a kitten from under a car outside the author’s home with the help of his “huge-hearted” Brooklyn neighbors. The story is told in the cumulative style of “The House That Jack Built,” in which action or dialogue repeats and builds as the tale progresses. It begins:

“This story is not about a kitten.

A kitten, hungry and dirty,
scared and alone,
meowing sadly,
needing a home.”

From there it uses repetition and rhythm to advance the plot, adding a dog who found the kitten, the woman who held the dog who found the kitten, the twins who brought a box to the woman for the kitten, and so on.

In the end, through the efforts of many participants, the kitten is now “full-bellied and show more clean, no longer alone, purring happily. Home.”

It concludes:

“This story is about the
stopping
and listening,
the holding
and bringing,
the offering
and asking
and working together
it takes, sometimes, to get there.”

Award-winning illustrator Carson Ellis uses bold colors in her pictures of a neighborhood filled with little details readers will enjoy identifying.

Evaluation: Readers four and over will delight in this feel-good animal rescue story that would make a very fun book to read aloud to a group of kids, with good lessons about kindness and cooperation. show less

First sentence: This story is not about a kitten. A kitten, hungry and dirty, scared and alone, meowing sadly, needing a home. This story is not about the dog who stopped when it heard the kitten, hungry and dirty, scared and alone, meowing sadly, needing a home. This story is not about the dog's people who listened, or the dog who stopped when it heard the kitten...

Premise/plot: This picture book celebrates a community that come together to rescue a kitten. The storytelling format is loosely inspired by "The House That Jack Built...." but perhaps lacking some of the clever rhythm.

My thoughts: I don't know that the repetitive nature of this format works when the rhythm is so clunky and not quite right. I think the story of a community show more coming together could be super compelling. And for many readers--less picky readers--this one could still work quite well. show less

This story is about a kitten, of course - and also, all of the people (and other creatures) who stopped, listened, and helped to rescue the kitten, "hungry and dirty, scared and alone, meowing sadly, needing a home." A happy ending for all.

Mock Caldecott 2023
Illustration observations: Some illustrations are double-page-spread full bleeds, others are just one page. On the title page, the eight pairs of shoes hint at the eight people involved in the kitten's rescue. The story takes place over one day: on the first page, a scene shows a dark house with two birds in a blue sky; the final illustration is that same scene, with a moon and stars and a lighted window.

It takes a village to save a stray kitten in this rhyming book inspired by "This Is the House that Jack Built." Cooperation can be cute, especially with the right art giving it life.

(Another project! I'm trying to read all the picture books and graphic novels on the kids section of NPR's Books We Love 2022.)

A sweet cumulative story about a community coming together to help a kitten. Lovely art.