Mama Cat Has Three Kittens

by Denise Fleming, Denise Fleming (Illustrator)

Overview

Some kittens march to the beat of a different drummer.

Mama Cat has three kittens — Fluffy, Skinny, and Boris. Where Mama Cat leads, Fluffy and Skinny follow. But what about Boris? Will he ever stop napping and join the fun?

Young children will love Mama Cat and her three kittens. They'll also enjoy looking for three other creatures hidden in every scene. But they'll have to count carefully — Mama Mouse has a surprise.

Denise Fleming has written and illustrated eleven picture books, including In the Small, Small Pond; The Everything Book; and Pumpkin Eye. Her illustrations are created by pulp painting. Denise lives in Toledo, Ohio, with her husband and collaborator, David Powers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805057454
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	09/15/1998
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.35(w) x 11.27(h) x 0.45(d)
Lexile:	AD280L (what's this?)
Age Range:	1 - 4 Years

About the Author

Denise Fleming has written and illustrated many children's books, including In the Tall, Tall Grass, Shout! Shout It Out!, and Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy. She won a Caldecott Honor for In the Small, Small Pond. Denise published her first painting in the third grade, when she started taking classes at the Toledo Museum of Art and one of her paintings was chosen to be the cover of a teacher's magazine. She now works primarily with paper, by pouring colored paper pulp through hand-cut stencils. She lives in Toledo, Ohio.

Editorial Reviews

An orange tabby prefers to nap while his mother and siblings sharpen their claws and chase leaves-until the other kittens curl up for a rest, then he is ready to pounce. "The repetition of simple phrases and actions is sure to be a hit with toddlers," said PW. Ages 2-5. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

From Peter Rabbit to the Poky Little Puppy, there's one in every family--one offspring who marches to the beat of a different drummer. In Fleming's (In the Tall, Tall Grass) chipper picture book, the odd kitten out is Boris, an orange tabby who prefers to nap while his mother and siblings sharpen their claws and chase leaves. But when Mama Cat and kittens Fluffy and Skinny curl up for a rest, Boris is ready to pounce (if only to find his next napping spot). Fleming's self-proclaimed love of cats (she lives with seven) permeates this somewhat slight but playful outing, as she accurately captures feline behavior and movement. The repetition of simple phrases and actions is also sure to be a hit with toddlers. In her vibrant artwork, composed with boldly colored cotton fiber pulp and stencils, Fleming creates a sense of texture and depth unique to her medium. Mama Cat's luxurious black fur is speckled and contoured with blue and flashes of fuchsia, an unusual but effective color combination, which endows Mama with both dimension and significance. On every page, the cats' eyes shine brightly in varying tones of fluorescent yellow and green. In addition to following the frolicking felines from scene to scene, young children will have great fun spotting trios of caterpillars, ladybugs, snails and bumblebees as well as a leery mouse who manages to stay out of the cats' path. Ages 2-5. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

(PreS-K) As Mama cat leads her kittens through a garden adventure, Fluffy and Skinny carefully follow her example (cleaning paws, chasing leaves) while Boris naps. The surprise comes when Boris is ready to frolic and the others are too exhausted to play. Preschoolers will request repeat readings of this delightful story and enjoy searching for the smaller creatures found on each page. Fleming's kittens, created by pouring colored cotton pulp through hand-cut stencils, are large and bold and set against colorful backdrops. An excellent choice for reading aloud to groups.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA.

School Library Journal

Mama Cat has three kittens: two mimics and one contrarian. When she washes her paws, so do Fluffy and Skinny; Boris naps. When she walks on the stone wall, sharpens her claws, chases leaves, digs in the sand, Fluffy and Skinny are her shadows; Boris naps. When Mama Cat curls up for a snooze, Boris becomes active, pouncing on his kin before resuming his nap. The story is charming, but remains almost incidental to Fleming's eye-rattling artwork in which cotton pulp is transformed into color-drenched handmade paper. The details are finer in this bookþmore controlledþand offer readers the full range of cat gestures and contours. Readers will enjoy following the kittens' purposeful preening, as well as the progress of a mouse that sneaks through the pages until it finds its little ones safe in the nest. (Picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews

Preschoolers will request repeat readings of this delightful story. An excellent choice for reading aloud to groups.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Fleming's text is right on humorous target. This is a close-to-perfect dance of text and illustrations.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

From the Publisher