A Kitten's Year [Hardcover]

Nancy Raines Day (Author), Anne Mortimer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Peeking, pawing, and pouncing, a curious kitten spends its first year exploring the sights, sounds, and smells of the world around it.

The simple text and exquisite, detailed illustrations in this beautiful book of months capture the cozy and distinctly feline moments of a kitten as it grows, season, by season, into a cat.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this fast-forward frolic through a kitten's first year, the artwork's meticulous and decorative style offers a pleasing counterpoint to its young subject's liveliness. Day's (The Lion's Whiskers) supple text is essentially one sentence: "A kitten/ peeks at January,/ toys with February, / dreams December,/ and wakes up a cat." British illustrator Mortimer supplies the calendar kitten with a new pose each month. Her paintings contrast the fur's soft fluffiness with the crisp, often flattened precision of the flowers and foliage. In the May scene, two rolling kittens look up from a bed of daisies that at first seem to be on one level, almost like a swath of gift wrap. The outdoor and action scenes make this book more varied--if less precious--than Mortimer's previous Cats Sleep Anywhere, and the minimalist text centers on catlike verbs (tumbles, paws, chases, etc.). While the china-pretty artwork may appeal more to adults, children will appreciate the kitten's lifelike poses and its gradual progress toward cathood. Ages 4-9. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-This artistically rendered picture book follows the growth of a kitten through one calendar year. Double-page spreads feature paintings on one side with minimal text on the other. As each month is introduced, the kitten grows bigger, until it "-dreams December," "and wakes-a cat." The illustrations are so realistic that the hands of young listeners may reach out to pat the fuzzy, appealing animal. The backgrounds are beautifully rendered, whether depicting the print of the couch pillow or the ladybug on the poppy. The clear, realistic pictures, bright colors, short text, and the concept presented make this a great book for read-alouds.
Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; 1st edition (December 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060272309
• ISBN-13: 978-0060272302
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,424,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Growing up, I spent many hours playing in the woods with my sisters, brother, and dog Puppy. We had our own town, Green Meadows, where I published a newspaper written on leaves with "ink" from squished berries and charged 25 cents in hickory nut money.

My family was not surprised when I decided to become a writer. After college, I wrote for newspapers and magazines.

When I started reading to my kids, I remembered how much I loved picture books and started writing my own. I wished on pennies in a wishing well, and ten years later, my first picture book, The Lion's Whiskers, came out.

Now, my sixth picture book, On a Windy Night, is being published. My husband and I live on an island, where I think up ideas while walking the beach and swimming in the ocean. One of my missions is to help today's kids connect with nature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely ADORABLE!, August 22, 2000

By 

Andrea (Bowdoin, ME) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Kitten's Year (Library Binding)

A kitten grows up over the course of a year in this fantastic book. The kitten himself or herself is fuzzy enough to want to reach out and touch, the flowers seem cool and smooth, and you expect the snail to crawl right off the margin! Best for very young children who want little plot and text and lots of incredible pictures. As a children's librarian, I think this is one of the best picture books I have bought this year.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Year in the life of a Kitten? Cool, August 1, 2007

By 

Reginald D. Garrard "the G-man" (Camilla, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Kitten's Year (Hardcover)

There ARE good books out there for preschoolers and "A Kitten's Year" is one of them. Nancy Raines' text is short and simple and Anne Mortimer's illustrations are beautiful and perfect for discussion between parent/teacher and child/student. There is so much going on in the images that the young child can be stimulated both mentally and visually.

If Amazon would grant TEN stars, this book would get them.

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Kitten's Year, April 25, 2000

By 

"orion4ever" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Kitten's Year (Hardcover)

Although the book is beautifully illustrated, I felt it lacked a certain appeal to most readers. This particular book teaches us the months of the year through illustration using a cat as the subject. I found it hard to keep my daughters interest, and mine for that matter. Probably a good book for cat lovers. Lovely colors, but no story line. This is the type of book I would tend to borrow from a library as opposed to purchasing.