A Kitten Tale

First sentence: Once there were four kittens who had never seen snow.

Premise/plot: A Kitten Tale is a fairly basic tale about four kittens. Three of the four kittens are nervous/intimidated/scared of snow. Mind you, the book takes you through ALL of the seasons. So the snow isn't imminent. But the fourth kitten is EXCITED about future snow. This one can't wait. He can't wait in spring. He can't wait in summer. He can't wait in fall. He is READY for whatever may fall from the sky. Will the other three kittens end up liking snow?

My thoughts: I liked this one. The illustrations are super, super adorable. I love the style of the illustrations. I definitely enjoyed the story. It isn't always entertaining to "learn" about the seasons of the show more year. But if you sprinkle in enough kitten illustrations, I'm hooked. show less

Traversing the four seasons with three reluctant and only one enthusiastic kitten could seem tedious but Rohmann pushes us to focus on the excitement rather than fear in new experiences. Shown in Rohmann's classic relief print illustrations, the one orange kitten inspires adventures in his three siblings, showing that living by example can be the most constructive way of dealing with those who do not have your same mindset.

REVIEW:
Four kittens play around outside during springtime, realizing that they have never seen snow. The first three kittens comment on how scared they are of the snow, and how cold they think it would be, but the fourth kitten exclaims that he can't wait! When summer and fall arrive, the kittens continue commenting on when snow will arrive, and yet again, the fourth kitten exclaims how he can't wait for the snow. Finally, one winter morning, the kittens wake up to snow! The three kittens hide from the snow, but as predicted, the fourth kitten runs outside and jumps into the snow. The three kittens watch from inside, realizing how fun the snow is, and decide to join their friend out in the snow.

I like how the illustrations in this show more book add meaning to the story, conveying details that the text doesn't necessarily say, teaching children to look at both the pictures and the text to create meaning. There are various repetitive sentence structures/phrases throughout this book, which help early readers predict what they are reading, as well as read familiar words before moving onto unfamiliar words. For example, the fourth kitten always says, "I can't wait", and readers will be able to predict that, as well as become comfortable with reading that phrase. In addition, certain words are repeated, such as snow and kitten, which will transition into familiar words, both orally, and in a written context, for early readers.

GENRE: Fantasy Children's Picture Book

MEDIA: relief and monotype prints (multiple layers)

USES:
(1) This book could be paired with an informational book on seasons to introduce the topic.
(2) Students could write about their favorite season, giving key details about that season looks like and why that is there favorite season.
(3) A theme in this book is fear; the three kittens are afraid of the snow, but they overcome that fear and realize that they actually like the snow! The class could discuss fears and how they can overcome them. show less

An adorable children's book about four little kittens, three of whom fear the coming winter and the cold and wet that comes with it. The fourth kitten, however, always says "I can't wait." The kittens go through all the seasons worrying about the cold and wet of winter. Then when it finally arrives the fourth kitten runs out to play in the snow and the other three watching him have fun, soon join in the games. This is a charming little book to teach very young children to have a positive attitude and to teach them the four seasons.

While the other three kittens are scared for winter, the fourth kitten can't wait. As the seasons go on and the possibility of snow gets closer the three kittens complain about being cold and wet, but the fourth kitten can't wait. When winter and snow finally appear the fourth kitten cannot wait. He runs outside to jump, roll, and play in the cold wet snow. After seeing how much fun the fourth kitten is having the three other kitten decide to join him. AS they yell to the fourth kitten "We'll be right out," the fourth kitten responds "I can't wait!"
The illustrations give the story a deeper meaning. Without the illustrations a reader could not fully understand the story. Roman does not write that the kittens are hiding or that their show more faces light up when they see how much the fourth kitten is having in the snow, he illustrates it. This book shows the importance of illustration in a children's book.
The book also teaches the lesson of judging a book by its cover in a sense. Also the kittens are not judging winter and snow, they are making assumptions about something they have yet to experience. The kittens assumed they would hate the snow because it is cold and wet, but in the end they all love it. show less

One kitten stands out among his three siblings. The three are dreading the day when it will snow. The other is excited about the snow. When the snow falls and the one kitten goes out to play, the three observe him and realize how much fun he is having in the snow. The three choose to join the one in the snow.

The book would be a great tool for talking about the role of differences of opinion and various points of view.

This was a unique little story. There are kitten and all but one is not looking forward to the snow coming. When the snow finally does come, the only kitten that is brave enough to go outside and play in the snow does. Eventually, he inspires the others to go outside as well. This is a great book. It teaches children about bravery and that it is ok to be different.