Module 3: Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Citation:
Henkes, K. (2004). Kitten’s First Full Moon. United States: Greenwillow Books.

Summary:
Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes, is the story of a kitten who is hungry and mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk. The kitten desperately tries everything it can to reach the bowl of milk in the sky. After climbing a tree the kitten sees the reflection of the moon in a pond and decides to go into the pond to get milk. After realizing and tiring of trying to reach the milk, it heads home to find a bowl of milk on the porch.

My Opinion:
I really enjoyed this sweet and simple story about a kitten who thinks the moon is a bowl of milk. I love the black and white illustrations and the storyline that seems to flow seamlessly. I feel that younger children can relate well to this story because a child’s world is all about their needs and wants.

Reviews:

Engberg, G. (2004, February 15). [Review of the book Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes]. Booklist book review. Retreived from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2548/merge_shared/details/RecordDetails.asp?item_uid=54283686&viewItemIndex=0&navPage=1&FullText=&BipAlertQueryString=&BipAlertDisplayQText=

Review from Booklist

Pres. Henkes creates another winner in this simple, charming story about a naive little kitten who mistakes a round, shining moon for a bowl of milk. Kitten laps at the sky's creamy circle, but she is surprised when she tastes bugs instead of milk. Then she chases the milk-bowl moon through the garden and field to the pond, where she climbs a tree, discovers another milk bowl shining in the water, and dives in after it. Finally, wet and sad and tired and hungry, she returns home to find, at last, a true bowl of milk, out of the sky and on the porch, waiting for her. Henkes' text, reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown's work in the elemental words, rhythms, and appealing sounds, tells a warm, humorous story that's beautifully extended in his shimmering, gray-toned artwork. Working in bold black lines and the silvery palette of moonlight, he creates a lovable, expressive character in the determined kitten, and his dramatic contrasts of light and dark capture the excitement of a nighttime adventure. 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.

Uses for the library:
This book would be a great book for introducing what the Caldecott awards are given out for. I would discuss the how the pictures could tell the story without even having words to illustrate the book. I would also do a quick group activity with first and second grade where the students would work in a group to write out what happened first, second and last.