His inviting linocut illustrations make use of supple black outlines, grainy earth-tone hues and coal-black page borders. The fourth kitten said, 'I can’t wait.’ ” With the arrival of spring, summer and fall, the three kittens express anxiety, while their optimistic littermate repeats, “I can’t wait.” Along with the dialogue, Rohmann winks at cat lovers with his observations of feline behavior. 'Cold to the tips of our tails!’ said the third kitten. The first kitten shivers, “ 'We’ll be cold!’ 'Freezing cold!’ said the second kitten. Here, gray, brown and marmalade kittens dread the coming of winter, but a yellow tabby holds an opposing view. See you tomorrow after my poetry reading tonight.) concise cat story shares the uncomplicated elegance and playful spirit of fellow Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes’s Kitten’s First Full Moon

(My need for full disclosure compels me to add that in the first image from the book, only three of the kittens appear.) (Cue Wayne and Garth in the first Wayne's World movie: 'We fear change.') And maybe, like the intrepid kitty, the next time they are faced with something new they will say 'I can't wait.' Or at least they'll be willing to have a look and give things a try, like the other three kittens (no lost mittens, by the by).įor more views of the playful artwork inside A Kitten Tale, please check out this other post over at 7-Imp, which features not one, not two, not three, but FOUR of the pictures of the four little kittens. Kids will respond to the underlying story here, about fear of new things and new places and new situations. Three of the kittens are very nervous about the impending snow, but one little kitty 'can't wait.' The intrepid kitty leads the way for his siblings to find a new way to enjoy themselves. Oh, and, of course, the story itself, which is about four little kittens who enjoy playing indoors and outdoors in the autumn leaves. That, and the fluidity and simplicity of the lines with which they are drawn. The kitties in the book are red, blue, yellow and brown and not black, white, or simply stripey in a realistic tabby kind of way, and that is one of the things that makes me love them.

Jules and Eisha really know their picture books (and other books as well), and the colorful kitty artwork really called to me.

I went out looking for this book after reading this most excellent review over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

KellyrfinemanI have a confession to make.

A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann