Book
Kitten's first full moon / by Kevin Henkes.
When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780060588281 (hc.)
- ISBN: 0060588284 (hc.)
- Physical Description: 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill.
- Edition: 1st ed.
- Publisher: New York : Greenwillow Books, c2004.
Content descriptions
| Awards Note: | Winner of the Caldecott Medal, 2005. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Kittens > Juvenile fiction. Cats > Juvenile fiction. Animals > Infancy > Juvenile fiction. Caldecott Medal Moon > Juvenile fiction. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Vancouver Community College.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Circulation Modifier | Holdable? | Status | Due Date | Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Library | ECCE HEN (Text) | 33109010219012 | Children's Collection | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Monthly Selections - #2 February 2004
/*Starred Review*/ PreS. Henkes creates another winner in this simple, charming story about a naive little kitten who mistakes a round, shining moon for a bowl of milk. Kitten laps at the sky's creamy circle, but she is surprised when she tastes bugs instead of milk. Then she chases the milk-bowl moon through the garden and field to the pond, where she climbs a tree, discovers another milk bowl shining in the water, and dives in after it. Finally, "wet and sad and tired and hungry," she returns home to find, at last, a true bowl of milk, out of the sky and on the porch, waiting for her. Henkes' text, reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown's work in the elemental words, rhythms, and appealing sounds, tells a warm, humorous story that's beautifully extended in his shimmering, gray-toned artwork. Working in bold black lines and the silvery palette of moonlight, he creates a lovable, expressive character in the determined kitten, and his dramatic contrasts of light and dark capture the excitement of a nighttime adventure. Wise preschoolers may chuckle at the kitten's folly, but they'll also recognize the mysterious power of moonlight to transform the familiar world of daytime into something altogether new. ((Reviewed February 15, 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews. - BookPage Reviews : BookPage Reviews 2004 August
A kitten reaches for the moonIf the legendary author Margaret Wise Brown has an heir apparent in children's books, writer-illustrator Kevin Henkes just might be it. For all the Goodnight Moon wannabes published each year, few come close to truly attaining the status of a classic. But it's a sure bet that Henkes' latest picture book, Kitten's First Full Moon, will be beloved by children and parents for a long, long time.
The premise is astonishingly simple. Rendered in gray and black, the story follows a little kitten who sees a full moon for the first time. She imagines that it is a bowl of milk in the skyâa bowl of milk she instantly longs to taste.
When Kitten first sticks out her tongue, she only manages to catch a bug. Poor Kitten! Yet she does not give up, for, as the story's refrain goes: "Still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting."
Preschoolers and adults, too, will giggle as Kitten tries to capture that elusive bowl of milk. She leaps from the steps, tumbles to the ground and chases it frantically through the garden. The suspense only grows when Kitten decides to get closer by climbing a tree. She can't reach that bowl of milk in the sky. But at her feet, reflected in the pond, what does she spy? You guessed it, another, even bigger bowl of milk! Poor Kitten, indeed, for now she's not only hungry and thirsty, but wet, tired and sad.
Readers will be glad to know that the story ends in a satisfactory and comforting way. From the endpapers with their round bowl-of-milk circles, to the exclamation on the back cover ("WHAT A NIGHT!"), Kitten's First Full Moon is a wonderful addition to children's literature. Not only will it be asked for again and again, adults won't tire of reading it. WHAT A BOOK!
Deborah Hopkinson's most recent adventure for children is Sailing for Gold: Book One of the Klondike Kid Trilogy. Copyright 2004 BookPage Reviews.
- Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2004 Fall
The black-and-white forms in this sweet story about a kitten who thinks the full moon is a bowl of milk are larger and more solid-looking than Henkes's usual work. The kitten, whose white fur glows against the charcoal-gray sky, is sprightly and expressive as she fails repeatedly ("Poor Kitten!") to get at that milk. The rhymthic, action-oriented text is just right for small children. Copyright 2004 Horn Book Guide Reviews. - Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2016 Spring
This is a successful board-book edition of Henkes's Caldecott Awardwinning story about a kitten who thinks the full moon is a bowl of milk. The smaller trim size doesn't lessen the illustrations' impact: Kitten is sprightly and expressive as she fails repeatedly ("Poor Kitten!") to get at that milk. The rhymthic, action-oriented (and unabridged) text is just right for small children. - Horn Book Magazine Reviews : Horn Book Magazine Reviews 2004 #3
Henkes takes a break from his signature mice--and from illustrating in color--to tell this sweet story about a kitten who thinks the full moon is a bowl of milk. The black-and-white forms, with subtle gradations of gray, are larger and more solid-looking than Henkes's usual work, with less interior line. Nevertheless, the kitten, whose white fur glows against the charcoal-gray sky like the moon she desires, is sprightly and expressive as she fails repeatedly ("Poor Kitten!") to get at that milk. Small children, for whom the rhythmic, action-oriented text is just right, will appreciate the gentle slapstick of the kitten getting a firefly on her tongue when she tries to lick the moon and getting drenched in the pond when she tries to drink the moon's reflection. Anyone who has ever watched a cat spasmodically pounce and chase for no apparent reason will enjoy the imaginative, unpretentiously poetic method Henkes reads into this madness. Copyright 2004 Horn Book Magazine Reviews - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2004 February #2
In a surprisingly new guise, Henkes turns his hand for his 34th book to a retro look, with rough-hewn, black-and-white illustrations that pair perfectly with this deceptively simply story. When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it. The coarse but masterfully controlled line with heavy black outlines contains vigor and exuberance, creating a spontaneous feeling. A keen sense of design uses double spreads and panels to depict the action and Kitten's puzzlement. Some spreads are almost all white space with dark shadows outlining Kitten and the moon. The style is reminiscent of Clare Newberry (Marshmallow, April's Kittens) without soft, fuzzy shapes, but artful in its gracelessness and naïveté, just like a kitten. Simply charming. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus 2004 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Media Connection : Library Media Connection Reviews 2004 October
Unlike any other book Kevin Henkes has written, this one stands simply but strongly on a single character, Kitten-no Lily, Owen, Julius, or Chrysanthemum here. Bold brush strokes give form to simple b&w drawings, contrasting the darkness of night with the whiteness of Kitten, the moon, and the milk. Henkes tells of Kitten's quest for a bowl of milk to drink and coming up short each time. The ending harks back to Max in Where the Wild Things Are (Harper & Row, 1963) when he arrives home and finds supper waiting. Preschool students will enjoy Kitten's episodic journey as they chime in "Poor Kitten" each time she can't get her bowl of milk. Readers addicted to Henkes' mouse community will find it hard to give Kitten her deserved space. Recommended. Daniel R. Beach, Teacher Librarian, Concord Elementary School, Anderson, South Carolina © 2004 Linworth Publishing, Inc. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2004 February #3
From their first glimpse of the title character, licking her front paw on the cover illustration, youngsters will find the star of Henkes's (Wemberly Worried) fetchingly simple story quite irresistible. When Kitten spies her first full moon, she thinks, "There's a little bowl of milk in the sky. And she wanted it." Yet when she closes her eyes and stretches her neck to lick the milk, Kitten instead ends up with a bug on her tongue. Next, she springs for the moon from the porch, and tumbles down the steps. Henkes's minimal narrative underscores the feline's drama with a refrain that encourages young listeners to chime in, "Poor Kitten!" After each such refrain, a white spread with a spot illustration of the kitten in the bottom left corner and the full moon in the upper right corner emphasize the feline's impossible dream: "Still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting." Horizontal scenes of Kitten's "chase" and vertical panels of the feline's climb up a tree to reach her prize make cinematic use of the spreads, rendered in variegated hues of black and white, in gouache and colored pencil. After all her trials, her own bowl of milk is waiting for her at home. The narrative and visual pacing will keep children entranced, and the determined young heroine and her comical quest will win them over. Ages 3-up. (Feb.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2004 April
PreS-K-An irresistible offering from the multifaceted Henkes. The spare and suspense-filled story concerns a kitten that mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk. When she opens her mouth to lick the treat, she ends up with a bug on her tongue. Next, she launches herself into the air, paws reaching out for the object of her desire, only to tumble down the stairs, "bumping her nose and banging her ear and pinching her tail. Poor Kitten." Again and again, the feline's persistent attempts to reach her goal lead to pain, frustration, and exhaustion. Repetitive phrases introduce each sequence of desire, action, and consequence, until the animal's instincts lead her home to a satisfying resolution. Done in a charcoal and cream-colored palette, the understated illustrations feature thick black outlines, pleasing curves, and swiftly changing expressions that are full of nuance. The rhythmic text and delightful artwork ensure storytime success. Kids will surely applaud this cat's irrepressible spirit. Pair this tale with Frank Asch's classic Moongame (S & S, 1987) and Nancy Elizabeth Wallace's The Sun, the Moon and the Stars (Houghton, 2003) for nocturnal celebrations.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2016 January
Toddler-PreSâA frisky nocturnal creature and a reflection of a lunar body (that resembles a bowl of milk) add up to a satisfying tale for the youngest listeners. Shades of black and gray illustrate Henkes's Caldecott winner featuring this frolicking feline determined to lap up her due on a nighttime jaunt outdoors.
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