by Jerry Pinkney
Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin), 2010
review copy provided by the publisher
It's autumn in Jerry Pinkney's version of the Three Little Kittens, and this mischievous trio can't wait to go outside and tumble in the leaves with their mousie toys, their ball of yarn, and the cardinal, blue jay and goldfinch who swoop outside their window.
True to form, they lose their mittens, find them again, eat pie with them on and dirty them, wash them clean and then ask to go outside and play again.
The delight of this traditional version is all in the details of the pictures. Anyone with cats will recognize how truly Pinkney has portrayed the way the kittens move, the things that catch their attention, even that wide-eyed wild look they get when they are engrossed in play.
There's lots to look at on every page, and be sure you don't miss the music and words to The Three Little Kittens printed on the inside of the book jacket.
This would be a fun story for children to read aloud and maybe even act out for Poetry Friday or readers' theater!
Tomorrow, a new version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears...
