Five Little Kittens

August 2, 1999
Jewell's (Sailor Song) cozy, lilting text traces a day in the lives of five winsome kittens. The sleepy quintet begins each morning standing in line as their mother bathes each "with her rough, pink tongue," and ends the day as their parents give them "five kisses,/ and out the light." Like a lullaby, the tone of the verse is snug and homey, and the day depicted is filled with familiar chores. The kittens model their parents' behavior with their toy mouse, feeding him "a toy fish bun/ in his little toy house" and tucking him into bed. Sayles's (Millions of Snowflakes) pastel illustrations with their sloe-eyed felines are full of warm fuzzies. The kittens lick their whiskers, loll comfortably in their parents' laps and rub their muzzles under their parents' feet. A clock indicates their 9:00 a.m. wake-up call and their noon meal, and each whiskered character exhibits a distinct personality (e.g., a charcoal gray kitten with white markings falls asleep at breakfast and slacks off on the chores). As a bedtime soother, this leisurely paced, gentle rhyme may well induce the desired catnap. Ages 2-6.

August 1, 1999
PreS-An original nursery rhyme about a family of five kittens, their parents, and their toy mouse. With loving assistance from their mother and father, the kittens proceed through their daily routine of baths, meals, naps, and play. Although Papa Cat goes off to work while Mama stays home, he returns at noon to serve fish soup, and helps tuck the youngsters in at night. Written with the simplicity and catchy rhythm of classic Mother Goose, the text will soon have listeners chanting along. The kittens and their toy mouse will remind young children of their own daily routines and special toys. The soft pastel illustrations focus on the cuddly orange and gray kittens, keeping background scenery to a minimum. A good choice for a quiet bedtime story at home, this book will also work well as part of a cat-themed storytime.-Dawn Amsberry, formerly at Oakland Public Library, CA

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2000
Soft pastel illustrations depict the daily doings of five smiling kittens, their parents, and a little toy mouse. The inconsistent meter of this rhyming story makes some of the verses sound a bit choppy, and the kittens' repetitious napping, bathing, and eating is unexciting, but readers looking for a quiet domestic tale may appreciate this small-sized picture book.

(Copyright 2000 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

August 1, 1999
Ages 2^-4. In this soothing picture book, five contented kittens "lived in a house / with their mama and papa / and their little toy mouse." The rhyming text guides us through their day, a pleasant routine revolving around meals, baths, play, and bedtime, with a parallel set of activities as the five kittens care for their toy mouse. With rhythm and rhyme neat and true, the text hums along, accompanied by Sayles' softly shaded pastel illustrations. The rounded shapes of the kittens, the placid smile of the toy mouse, and the orderly progression of familiar activities all combine to make this a pleasing, even soporific choice for bedtime reading. ((Reviewed August 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)