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Module 3: Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Genre:
Picture Book/ Caldecott Winner

 Book Summary:
Kitten is curious when she spies what looks to her to be a large bowl of milk.  Giving way to her thirst for something yummy, Kitten tries her best to reach the milk.

Henkes, K. (2004). Kitten's first full moon (1st ed.). New York: Greenwillow Books.

Impressions:
Henkes creates a whimsical look into the mind of a playful kitten, allowing the reader to imagine what life is like for a little kitten.  The kitten, though not personified, has much character, and endears the reader to her plight.  That she is rewarded in the end makes everything right with the world.  The book is a joyful read in spite of, or perhaps because of, its simplicity.

Professional Review:
"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. (Picture book. 3-5)"

 Kirkus (2004). [Review for the book Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes].   Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kevin-henkes/kittens-first-full-moon/

Library Uses:
Reading about Kitten's interactions with the moon, I couldn't help thinking about one of my favorite childhood stories, Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch.  Both stories are about the interactions one animal has with the moon, but one is more realistic than the other.  Reading and comparing the two stories would provide a great example of realistic versus personified depiction of animals.  It might also be interesting to read a number of books with the moon as the center and discuss why there are so many books about the moon.  Allowing students to write their own story involving the moon would make for a great culmination of the exploration.

Readalikes:
Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

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