A Kitten's Year

by Nancy Raines Day, Anne Mortimer (Illustrator)

Peeking, pawing, and pouncing, a curious kitten spends its first year exploring the sights, sounds, and smells of the world around it.

The simple text and exquisite, detailed illustrations in this beautiful book of months capture the cozy and distinctly feline moments of a kitten as it grows, season, by season, into a cat.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published December 22, 1999

About the author

Nancy Raines Day is the author of fourteen picture books. Her most recent are Applesauce Is Fun to Wear and Baby's Opposites. Her first children's book, The Lion's Whiskers: An Ethiopian Folktale, was a New York Times notable book of the year. She earned a BA in journalism from the University of Michigan and an MA in literacy journalism from Syracuse University. Having raised a son and a daughter, Day lives with her husband on St. Simons Island in Georgia.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple text follows a young kitten - beautifully depicted in Anne Mortimer's lush illustrations - through the months of the year in this picture-book for younger children, from the peeking of January to the dreaming of December. Each two-page spread features one of Mortimer's paintings on one side, and a few words of text, on a colorful monochrome background, on the other. By the end of the year, the kitten has become a cat...

Although I wouldn't say that A Kitten's Year holds much narrative appeal, given its lack of story, I did appreciate Anne Mortimer's artwork! She appears to be the "cat painter" extraordinaire these days, and having discovered her work through the reviews of a friend (thanks, Kathryn!), and greatly enjoyed such titles as Santa's Snow Cat , I have been looking for other titles she illustrated. I liked the kitten's growth in these illustrations, and appreciated some of the postures and expressions Mortimer gave her feline subject. The scene where the kitten is sniffing Thanksgiving dinner reminds me of my own kitty-cat, and how he sticks his nose in the air, in order to get a better whiff. Recommended to all young cat lovers, and to fans of Anne Mortimer's art!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Anne Mortimer's cat artwork! Sooo cute--makes me wish all the pictures would come-to-life so I could pet each of these adorable kittens! :-) The story itself is cute enough, but nothing substantial... The kitten "Spooks October" or "Dreams December" -- that's all, it is more a backdrop for the great artwork. Recommended if you love Mortimer's artwork.

[Slayermel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book about the months of the year and the kitten being a cat by the end of it.

Very simple text, a few words per page.
Introduced some new words that my four year old and I discussed the meaning of.
Dozed, stalked etc...

Cute pictures of the kitten and what could 've found during that month of the year.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but sweet and a good option for my NYE storytime if the group ends up being pretty young.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This should be a calendar instead of a book.

I mean, it's awesome for those kids who love to look at great illustrations, but there's not really anything here besides that.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art and short & sweet

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful book. I'd think it would be a delight to any cat lover.

[Shai’re · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an adorer of cats, so the child-like side of me wanted to read nothing but cat children’s books. This, by far, was an adorable one!

[Jbondandrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book with wonderful illustrations.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations.

[Christine Kalleeny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much of a story but the images are beautiful

[Jamie Johnson Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

💜 Anne Mortimer's art and cats 😸

[Melle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short and simple text ((one present tense active verb + month name)/page). Detailed, colorful paintings of a gray-and-white long-haired tabby growing from a kitten into a cat over the course of a year. Not a bad book but very bland.

Zelda sort of wanted to eat this book but got distracted by the window.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

As good a book about the months in a year as any, but it isn't a topic that seems to lend itself to greatness. This title is all about the illustrations, though, and cat-loving kids would be all over it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are absolutely perfect. Of course, the kitten looks almost exactly like our Molly Kitten, so that helps.

The text itself is VERY simple and doesn't really form a story. But the illustrations are absolutely perfect.

[meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

a kitten becomes a cat!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations!!!

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes:
cute pictures
simple story -- two words per page
'spooks october' is the only dislike (can't he crunch pretty leaves instead??)

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful realistic yet soft illustrations

[Cindy Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous lifelike illustrations, so-so text.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic book with the theme of the months of the year and growing up.

[Maeghan Nutmeg Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kittens are so doofy. Accurately depicted: Thanksgiving.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book about a kitten over the course of a year with a page for each month. It worked well in storytime.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, quick read about the year in the life of a kitten.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice illustrations about a cat growing through the months.