Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Bibliography:
Henkes, Kevin. 2004. Kitten's First Full Moon. by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow Books. ISBN 9780060588298

Plot Summary:
Kevin Henkes brings us a wonderful story of a callow and determined kitten that is experiencing her very first full moon. Unfortunately for Kitten, she thinks the moon is actually a large, tasty bowl of milk that she simply must try! Poor kitten does her best to stretch out her tongue and taste the moon, but ends up tasting a nasty bug instead. Kitten’s bad luck continues as she manages to fall down and get hurt while desperately trying to taste the bowl of milk in the sky. Eventually poor kitten is fooled by the moon’s reflection in the pond (she thinks the reflection is a bigger bowl of milk) and tumbles into the water. Feeling sad and defeated Kitten casts her efforts aside and decides to go back to the comfort of her home.When she finally reaches home Kitten is delighted to see that there is a bowl of milk waiting on the porch, just for her.  

Critical Analysis:
Henkes’s simple use of black and white illustrations does a fantastic job of expressing that the kitten’s journey happened at night under the glow of the moon's light. The black and white pictures pair perfectly with the storyline as they are both simple, but effective. Additionally, the illustrations even accurately portray realistic, cat-like behaviors. These behaviors are evident when Henkes writes of Kitten wriggling her rear end before pouncing towards the milk in the sky. At times, this movement can be seen in nature just before a cat lunges after its prey.

The choice of words Henkes used in the story is easy for early readers to read or for children to follow along with. The text is also easily located since it has been typed in a bold font. The bold font temporarily draws the reader away from the artwork and back to the story itself.

This book is recommended for children ages 2 and up.

Review Excerpt(s):

• Caldecott Medal (2005)
• New York Times "Children's Best Sellers List" (2005)
• Starred Review (2004) in Booklist: "Henkes creates another winner in this simple, charming story" 
• Starred Review (2004) in School Library Journal: "an irresistable offering from the multifaceted Henkes."
• Number 25 on School Library Journal's "Top 100 Picture Books" list

Connections:

• Pair this title with other great favorites such as:
            Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag 
            Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
            When Cats Dream by Dav Pilkey
• Print out color sheets and hand them out for children to take home.
• Masks can be made using construction paper and popsicle sticks, while the moon can be crafted from a white paper plate.