written and illustrated by Kenvin Henkes
Greenwillow Books, 2005. 40 pgs.
Reading Level: Baby - Preschool
Hardcover: $17.99
Annotation: Kitten desperately tries to reach the bowl of milk she sees in the sky, not realizing that she's chasing after the moon.
Summary: When Kitten spies the full moon in the sky she immediately thinks it must be a bowl of milk and so she tries to lick it, capturing a bug instead. And thus begins a rollicking adventure that takes her across fields and fences and even near a pond where the moon is reflected in the water, causing kitten to see another giant bowl of milk that she is again unable to sip. Finally she returns back home, hungry, tired and wet only to find an actual bowl of milk has been placed outside for her to drink.
Evaluation: The illustrations are all in black and white and the story is really darling. However, I must admit that I was a bit shocked to see that Henkes actually won the Caldecott for the illustrations. They don't communicate anything special and the only one that actually appeals to me is the cover illustration. I'd really like to have been on the Caldecott committee that year in order to hear the committee deliberations and to see what other options they had to work with. Final note, it's okay, but not stupendous and I'm still shaking my head over this award winner.
Significance: For the most part, children are fascinated with animals, especially baby ones and this story places a treasured creature at the heart of the plot. We also see kitten learning a lesson that everything is not always what it seems to be and that is something we all must learn sooner or later.
Personal Choice: I wanted to read this book because a friend and artist neighbor of mine is working with Kevin Henkes on a project and I thought it would be interesting to learn more about his style.
Awards: Caldecott Winnter, 2005 / ABA - Book Sense Book of the Year: Illustration Honor, 2005
No comments:
Post a Comment