How to Be a Cat
PreS-Gr 1-A delightful picture book in every way. Beginning with the paw-print endpapers, youngsters will know that they are in for an adventure. The simplicity and flow of page design are beautifully done as viewers follow a kitten and his mother as she teaches him basic feline behavior. The first spread shows Mama and her kitten as they stretch, and the direction and pull of their bodies helps children understand the concept perfectly. They then proceed to lick themselves clean, pounce, explore, and hunt. Of course, the kitten thinks hunting means playing with a butterfly. They stalk and chase and it is while they are racing around that the kitten becomes lost. Children will identify immediately with the cowering youngster waiting to be found-which happens on the very next page. Mama and her kitten eat their dinner and finally snuggle up together to dream. The cut-paper illustrations are in black and white with a few strategically placed touches of blue. At once satisfying and fun, this is a book that children will pick up again and again. Pair it with Lois Ehlert's Top Cat (Harcourt, 1998) and Kevin Henkes's Kitten's First Full Moon (Greenwillow, 2004) to reinforce the playfulness of kittens and how they learn to be cats.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VAα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.