A Kitten'S Year

A Kitten'S Year

Peeking, pawing, and pouncing, a curious kitten spends its first year exploring the sights, sounds, and smells of the world around it. The simple text and exquisite, detailed illustrations in this beautiful book of months capture the cozy and distinctly feline moments of a kitten as it grows, season, by season, into a cat.From Publishers WeeklyIn this fast-forward frolic through a kitten's first year, the artwork's meticulous and decorative style offers a pleasing counterpoint to its young subject's liveliness. Day's (The Lion's Whiskers) supple text is essentially one sentence: "A kitten/ peeks at January,/ toys with February, / dreams December,/ and wakes up a cat." British illustrator Mortimer supplies the calendar kitten with a new pose each month. Her paintings contrast the fur's soft fluffiness with the crisp, often flattened precision of the flowers and foliage. In the May scene, two rolling kittens look up from a bed of daisies that at first seem to be on one level, almost like a swath of gift wrap. The outdoor and action scenes make this book more varied--if less precious--than Mortimer's previous Cats Sleep Anywhere, and the minimalist text centers on catlike verbs (tumbles, paws, chases, etc.). While the china-pretty artwork may appeal more to adults, children will appreciate the kitten's lifelike poses and its gradual progress toward cathood. Ages 4-9. (Jan.)Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.From School Library JournalPreSchool-This artistically rendered picture book follows the growth of a kitten through one calendar year. Double-page spreads feature paintings on one side with minimal text on the other. As each month is introduced, the kitten grows bigger, until it "-dreams December," "and wakes-a cat." The illustrations are so realistic that the hands of young listeners may reach out to pat the fuzzy, appealing animal. The backgrounds are beautifully rendered, whether depicting the print of the couch pillow or the ladybug on the poppy. The clear, realistic pictures, bright colors, short text, and the concept presented make this a great book for read-alouds.Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.From Kirkus ReviewsPLB 0-06-027231-7 Day takes a journey through the months, purporting to follow the growth of a kitten into a cat, but the text is far too slim to convey any change in personality. Stalking March and chasing September, toying with February and spooking October, this cat is a cat, and there is nothing wrong with that. Mortimer's jewel-like paintings also do not offer much sense of progressionit is difficult to tell that January is younger than Novemberbut they do carry the show, impressive not just in the details, but in their composition as well. The cat is drawn in all sorts of distinct and familiar feline poses: intent on a goldfish, tugging at a piece of string, sending a paw up to stab at a mobile. At one point the cat engages readers directly, on its back, eyes fixed, rear leg drawn up to bat at a hand come to rub its belly. Day and Mortimer achieve less a testament to growing and more a tribute to cathooda bauble of a book, for cat-lovers and their parents. (Picture book. 4-9) --Copyright