Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

1. Bibliography

Henkes,Kevin. Kitten's First Full Moon. Greenwillow Books, 2004. ISBN: 0060588284

2. Plot Summary

An adorable kitten witnesses her first full moon. Never having seen a full moon before, she mistakenly believes it to be a bowl of milk, and sets off on an adventure to get it. The kitten faces many obstacles on her journey, each affecting her until she decides enough is enough and heads home, defeated. The story ends when the discouraged kitten finds a wonderful surprise waiting for her back home.

3. Critical Analysis

Author Kevin Henkes has written a beautiful story about a young kitten’s determination to fulfill her desires. Young children from all backgrounds will be fascinated with the kitten’s antics as she chases the “bowl of milk” in the sky. Readers, regardless of age, can connect with the character’s unwavering desire as her adventure unfolds and can sympathize with the kitten’s failure to get what she wants.

The use of high frequency words interwoven with wonderful verbs like sprang, wiggled and stretched are well suited to the beginning reader audience. The repetitive nature of the story is easy for children to understand and makes shared reading an enjoyable activity.

As an illustrator, Henkes uses black and white illustrations to create the mood of the story. The contrasting colors help the reader identify the nighttime setting where they story unfolds. The lack of color is beneficial as it allows the reader greater ability to focus on the kitten’s many expressions. The thick black lines and use of shading create vivid pictures that children will love. The illustrations are able to stand alone and tell the story, perfect for young audiences who have yet learned to read words.

4. Awards or Review Excerpts

· 2005 Caldecott Winner

· Starred review from Booklist : “Working in bold black lines and the silvery palette of moonlight, he creates a lovable, expressive character in the determined kitten.”

· From Library School Journal: “The rhythmic text and delightful artwork ensure storytime success.”

5. Connections

· Use with early childhood classes to tell the story of the kitten. Covering up the words may lead to the creation of some original and humorous stories.

· Have students make connections to times when they wanted something very badly and the many things they did to try and get it. This would elicit many wonderful writing pieces from children of all ages.

· Pair with another story about a character who wanted something very badly, like Mo Willem’s Pigeon books or I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff. Compare contrast elements of both stories.

6. Personal Response

I read this story to my 16 month old daughter as part of our bedtime routine. She has recently learned the word “ball” and really enjoyed pointing out the “balls” (circular shapes in the illustrations)while we read. It was fascinating to see her make her own connections to the book.

As an adult, this book was very fun to read. I think anyone can remember back to a time when they tried very hard to get something and didn’t succeed. My one negative thought (and I had to think long and hard to find one) was this: although, the story ends on a happy note, children need to understand that happy endings are not ALWAYS going to be the case.