1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Henkes, Kevin. 2004. KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON. United States of America
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this simple yet suspenseful picture book, Kevin Henkes writes about a kitten that sees a full moon for the first time. The kitten is very curious especially since he mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk. This determined character goes through a series of adventures trying to reach the mistaken bowl of milk. The kitten tries to lick, jump, chase, and climb a tree to reach the bowl of milk in the sky. However as she reaches the top of the tree she looks down only to discover a larger bowl of milk below. She raced down the tree and toward the pond when she reached the pond she leaped as far as she could only to find herself in the middle of the pond. After all of these adventures the tired hungry kitten headed home, and when she arrived she discovered a real bowl of milk waiting for her on the porch. Success at last!
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Henkes’ writing is simple and explains each step the kitten takes to reach the bowl of milk. Through his writing he describes each and every antic the kitten goes through. Any child who has ever wanted something this bad is able to relate to this character and to the book. He captures the kitten’s emotions through his words, “There’s a little bowl of milk in the sky. And she wanted it.” As well as, “Poor kitten! She was wet and sad and tried and hungry.” This is a perfect book for preschoolers, school age children, and actually for any age.
Henkes’ illustrations and words match precisely. This book is so well illustrated that a reader in the early stages would be able to use the pictures as a strategy to read the text. His black and white illustrations with the thick black lines and shades of grey bring out the details of the kitten and the illuminating moon. Kitten’s emotions are captured as if this were a real photograph detailing every emotion the kitten goes through. Many of the illustrations are large, taking up an entire page, this brings out the feelings of the adventure.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
*Starred review in BOOKLIST: “Wise preschoolers may chuckle at the kitten's folly, but they'll also recognize the mysterious power of moonlight to transform the familiar world of daytime into something altogether new.”
*SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The rhythmic text and delightful artwork ensure storytime success.”
*2005 Caldecott Medal Winner
*School Library Journal- Best Book
*New York Times- Best Illustrated Book
5. CONNECTIONS
*This is a terrific book to use for a sight word lesson. Students could find particular sight words the teacher asks for or the students could write down the sight words in their journal.
*Vocabulary Lesson – This book is full of wonderful vocabulary for younger students such as wiggled, sprang, tumbled, banging, edge, and many more.
*Inferencing Lesson – Teachers could begin reading the book by omitting the first sentence and having the students infer what the little bowl of milk actual is.
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