Book Review: Kitten's First Full Moon

Bibliography
Henkes, Kevin. 2004. KITTEN'S FIRST FULL MOON. Greenwillow Books: New York. ISBN 0060588292

Summary
A kitten sees a full moon and is convinced that it is a bowl of milk. She tries several different tactics to get the bowl of milk, but ends up with a bug on her tongue, and then she tumbles down the steps trying to reach for the moon. She tries to get closer, but just can't seem to get there, even by climbing a tree. Then she spies the reflection of the moon in the water, and falls in trying to get it. She finally heads back home and finds a bowl of milk waiting for her.

Critical Analysis
The illustrations in this picture book reflect what is happening in the story and add another layer of understanding. The story has a simple plot that conveys the message to the reader about being unlucky, then getting lucky. The main character is a cute kitten, that although children don't think of themselves as kittens, they can still empathize with the kitten and make connections with the story. Henkes uses repetition to deliver the story ("Still, there was a little bowl of milk, just waiting"). This emphasizes the kitten's determination to get that bowl of milk and has the readers wondering if the kitten will achieve her goal. Any child of any culture can relate to this book because it delivers a message of continuing to try, and even if the goal is not achievable, there may be a different, unexpected award waiting in the end.

Review Excerpt(s)
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. -Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2004

Strengths and Weaknesses
One of the strengths of this book is the simple black and white illustrations that mirror what is happening in the story. The reader is taken through the story with clear visuals that add depth and understanding to the story. Another strength of this book is that it shows that sometimes things just don't go as expected, but there is still hope. One of the weaknesses of the book is that it doesn't relate setting a goal, and even if you don't achieve that goal, you are still rewarded. This book portrays trying really hard, and just getting lucky in the end.

Personal Response and Connections
This is the first Kevin Henkes book I didn't really enjoy. I did not like that the kitten was rewarded by luck, not through trying really hard. Maybe I am looking at this book too deeply. But in the end, does the kitten really learn anything? Do the readers learn anything about themselves?

This book could be used as a springboard for a writing activity. Students could be invited to write about a time that they were lucky.