Katie Loves the Kittens

by John Himmelman (Author) John Himmelman (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

Katie is so excited when Sara Ann brings home three little kittens that she can't stop herself from howling "AROOOOO!" and trying to run after them. She loves them so much!

But Katie's enthusiasm frightens the kitties, and she's sad when they run away from her. Don't they know that she just wants to play?

Katie Loves the Kittens is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

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School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3When Sara Ann brings home three little kittens, her enthusiastic dog, Katie, is beside herself with joy. Unfortunately, the tail-wagging pooch shows her affection through leaps, bounds, and howls that scare the newcomers and earn her repeated reprimands from the child. The next day, things go from bad to worse as Katie eats the food intended for kittens. Overcome with sadness, she slinks off to her bed, falls asleep, and wakes up to find the felines curled up on top of her. Luckily, she has learned her lesson, and despite her frantically quivering body and wagging tale, she stays still and the kittens are not afraid. Himmelman's charming watercolor-and-ink illustrations depict a character sure to earn the affection of young readers. Katie's expressive movements make both her excitement and her dismay palpable and adorable. Youngsters will root for the pup as she tries to figure out how to make this new friendship work. Pair this with other stories of unlikely dog-cat friendships such as Lyn Rossiter McFarland's "Widget" (Farrar, 2001) or Marie Hall Ets's classic "Play with Me" (Puffin, 1976)."Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY" Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review
This sweet book tells the story of a dogthat's Katiewho is utterly infatuated with her owner's new kittens. "Aroooooo!" howls Katie eagerly whenever she sees the tiny felines, but her vocalizing, leaping and avid tail-wagging only scare the living daylights out of them. Katie learns, after some setbacks (readers will totally sympathize), that desperately wanting to make friends is not necessarily a good starting point; sometimes, it's better to let the other side take the lead. Himmelman's ("Chickens to the Rescue") empathetic, economical text builds dramatic tension and the audience's identification with Katie without an excess of anthropomorphizing. The pencil and ink drawings evince the same combination of craft and tenderness. Katie is the very picture of openheartedness, confusion and contrition, and readers will root for her from the very first page. Ages 38. "(Sept.)" Copyright 2008 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

Review quotes

"The pencil and ink drawings evince the same combination of craft and tenderness. Katie is the very picture of openheartedness, confusion and contrition, and readers will root for her from the very first page." - Publishers Weekly
John Himmelman
John Himmelman (Tudley Didn't Know) has written and/or illustrated over 60 children's books since 1981. His award-winning book -Pipaluk and the Whales- (published by National Geographic) is based on the true story of how far people will go to save their wild neighbors. John's -Nature Upclose- series of 13 different books (published by Children's Press, a division of Scholastic) includes such titles as: A Monarch Butterfly's Life, A Pillbug's Life, A Luna Moth's Life, and A Woodfrog's, Life. He based his Animal Rescue Club (Harper Collins) beginning reader book on a group of real children who rescued orphaned and injured wildlife. John's first book for adults, Discovering Moths, was recently published by Downeast Books. Most of John's book stem from his obvious passion for animals and nature. When John isn't busy writing or illustrating his books, he is involved with the CT Butterfly Association, the Killingworth Land Conservation Trust, leads nature walks and gives natural history lectures throughout the country. He works with schools by offering special science observation programs, and teaches courses on children's book writing. As if he isn't busy enough, John has two children (one in college and one in high school) and a working wife (high school art teacher) with a busy life of her own. John says he has never lost his love of reading and ends each day curled up in bed with a good book! Visit John's Website: http: //jch.homestead.com/home.html
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780805086829
Lexile Measure
450
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Henry Holt & Company
Publication date
September 20, 2008
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002050 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Cats
JUV002070 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dogs
Library of Congress categories
Cats
Friendship
Animals
Dogs
Infancy
Patience
North Carolina Children's Book Award
Nominee 2010 - 2010
Virginia Readers Choice Award
Nominee 2011 - 2011
Young Hoosier Book Award
Nominee 2011 - 2011
Cybils
Finalist 2008 - 2008

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