Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

BIBLIOGRAPHY

            Henkes, Kevin. 2004. Kitten’s First Full Moon. Ill. by Kevin Henkes. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 978-0060588281

PLOT SUMMARY

In Kitten’s First Full Moon, Kitten is relaxing on her front porch when she suddenly notices a little bowl of milk. The milk doesn’t look too far out of reach, but no matter how hard she tries she just can’t seem to reach the little bowl. Excited by the prospect of drinking the milk, kitten chases the bowl “down the sidewalk, through the garden, past the field, and by the pond,” never realizing that the bowl is actually the full moon.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Henkes' simple writing makes Kitten's First Full Moon a delightful story. Children will be captivated by Henkes' precocious little kitten and the story's element of suspense. Only one to two lines of text are contained on each page, which makes the story easy to read, especially to a young audience. Throughout the book Henkes echoes the phrase “poor kitten” after each of kitten’s mishaps, so children are able to interact with the story by predicting the pattern.

Henkes uses bold black and white drawings to tell the story of Kitten’s First Full Moon. The illustrations complement the text because they create a stark contrast between kitten’s environment and the full moon. The contrast helps children to understand why kitten mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk. The monochromatic color scheme also allows the reader to focus on the central elements of the story without being distracted by bright colors or objects in the background.

Henkes alternates between full page illustrations and blocks of illustrations. The full page illustrations provide close up views of kitten and her various expressions, while the blocked illustrations convey kitten’s movement throughout the story.

Children will relate to kitten’s natural curiosity and determination as she chases after the little bowl of milk. They will find her naiveté humorous and be intrigued by the lengths to which she goes to get to the “bowl of milk.” This story helps children realize that things are not always as they seem.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

BOOKLIST STARRED REVIEW: “Henkes creates another winner in this simple, charming story about a naïve little kitten…”

KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW: “Simply charming”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “An irresistible offering from the multifaceted Henkes”

AWARDS

Charlotte Zolotow Award: Winner, 2005

Randolph Caldecott Medal: Winner, 2005

New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year: Winner, 2004

CONNECTIONS

·         Talk about the moon. Discuss phases of the moon and show actual photographs of the moon.

·         Cut out several outlines of various objects and ask the children to guess the items.

·         Discuss all of the things that children wish they could do but can’t because of their size or age. Also, talk about the advantages of being young/little.

·         Talk about optical illusions. Share some pictures of optical illusions and ask the children to find the illusion. A good website to use is the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/illusions/index.htm