Caldecott Medal Winner 2005

 

Henkes, Kevin. Kitten’s First Full Moon. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books, 2004.

ISBN 9780060588281

Summary of Plot:

Kitten is excited by her first full moon because she thinks it is a big bowl of milk. She tries to lap it up, but tastes bugs instead. Then she leaps for it, but falls. Next she runs to try to reach it and climbs a tall tree, but she cannot seem to get to her bowl of milk in the sky. Suddenly, Kitten sees her bowl of milk in the pond below the tree and dives into it. She finds herself wet and tired and decides to head home. Upon her return, Kitten discovers what she had been looking for all along was waiting for her on the front porch of her home. Lucky Kitten!

Critical Analysis:

Through its black and white illustrations and use of a delicate kitten character, Kitten’s First Full Moon sets a soothing and soft tone for readers. Henkes does an excellent job of evoking emotion through the use of the kitten’s facial expressions and the journey the kitten embarks on to reach her bowl of milk. For example, readers may feel sorry for the kitten when she leaps of the porch and hurts herself, but they may laugh when the kitten eats a bug because she is trying to lap up the bowl of milk in the sky.

Henkes’ approach for the illustrations is truly unique. He uses black, white, and grey for all the illustrations, but through the use of bold lines and shading, details are able to stand out on the pages.

The tender tone of the book makes it a great candidate for a cozy bedtime story, but would also make a great read aloud because of the repetitive lines children could chime in on during a reading.

Awards & Reviews:

Caldecott Medal 2005

Parents’ Choice Award 2004

NY Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year 2004

“In a surprisingly new guise, Henkes turns his hand for his 34^th book to a retro look, with rough-hewn, black-and-white illustrations that pair perfectly with this deceptively simple story” - Kirkus Reviews.

 

Connections:

*Sequence the events of the story and retell the story to work on story comprehension.

*Research and identify other phases of the moon.

*Read Happy Birthday Moon by Frank Asch and compare the kitten and the bear.