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Mittens
Richard achieves his lifelong desire to have a kitten, only to have it become lost.
28 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1936
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 28, 2020
The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, Turlay has an exceptional talent and ease for drawing animals and these cat and kitten illustrations are wonderful. I found the story much too long for the age it was intended, there was some needless details, and a casual attitude to animals that you often find in older books. I found the storyline weak, the cat is lost and many cats are brought round and it follows a 'that is not my cat's storyline.
Worth a look for the illustrations alone.
Read on open library.
Worth a look for the illustrations alone.
Read on open library.
March 26, 2020
Darling illustrations and a cute little story.
Ages: 4 - 9
Cleanliness: goodness, thank heavens and dickens are said.
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Ages: 4 - 9
Cleanliness: goodness, thank heavens and dickens are said.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
May 30, 2010
With its simple black and white drawings, this book feels very old-fashioned. It is aboout a boy who gets a kitten. The kitten gets lost, so his father advertises a reward. Naturally, many people come to their door with cats they want to get rid of. Finally the kitten is found in a surprising way.
June 7, 2019
A must for any cat lover! 😻
I discovered this children's book at a book sale I recently attended, and one, I can't believe anyone could ever part with such a darling book, and two how have I never heard of this? Why isn't this more popular? The illustrations are stunning, truly captivating.
As for the story of the six-toed kitten, Mittens, I can't help but think of Ernest Hemingway and his affinity for six-toed cats. Which sadly is a product of inbreeding, but in this case it did help create a unique story of an adorable kitten that anyone would miss if it were to go missing.
If you're lucky enough to find a copy, don't hesitate to pick it up!
I discovered this children's book at a book sale I recently attended, and one, I can't believe anyone could ever part with such a darling book, and two how have I never heard of this? Why isn't this more popular? The illustrations are stunning, truly captivating.
As for the story of the six-toed kitten, Mittens, I can't help but think of Ernest Hemingway and his affinity for six-toed cats. Which sadly is a product of inbreeding, but in this case it did help create a unique story of an adorable kitten that anyone would miss if it were to go missing.
If you're lucky enough to find a copy, don't hesitate to pick it up!
March 30, 2012
Another one!~ Yes, just like kitties-you just cannot adopt one! Again this book is large format. If I was an evil book person, which I am sworn not to be. I would be tempted to take a couple of the pages and frame them. These book just have such a vintage feel to them-I wish first editions were not so pricey for them.
July 7, 2024
From 1936, boy gets kitten, boy loses kitten, boy finds kitten.
I remember this one from my childhood; I may have even checked it out once or twice. That cover with the kittens captured (and still does) my attention. But read it? No, I can remember opening it and being intimidated by the sheer amount of text on the pages. I may have even opened it a few times in the past 30+ years as a school library media specialist in hopes of reading it, only to realize that this would take more than a few minutes.
So here I am almost 50 years later and I read it. Yes, it's long as a picture book. Yes, it's definitely from another era. Dad uses the phrase, "you little dickens" when Mittens claws him. There's a mention of a gas-oven and an ice-box. And the illustrations are shades of red, black and white which is typically of books in the mid 1900s as printing full color illustrations was very expensive. Was it worth reading? Absolutely, it's cute, easy to follow and perhaps a bit of a classic as Newberry did win four Caldecott Honors after Mittens was published. Would I read it again, would I recommend it? Probably not and yes to adults who like cat stories or are interested in old titles. If you are looking for a cat title from another era for children, my recommendation is Esther Averill's The Fire Cat.
I remember this one from my childhood; I may have even checked it out once or twice. That cover with the kittens captured (and still does) my attention. But read it? No, I can remember opening it and being intimidated by the sheer amount of text on the pages. I may have even opened it a few times in the past 30+ years as a school library media specialist in hopes of reading it, only to realize that this would take more than a few minutes.
So here I am almost 50 years later and I read it. Yes, it's long as a picture book. Yes, it's definitely from another era. Dad uses the phrase, "you little dickens" when Mittens claws him. There's a mention of a gas-oven and an ice-box. And the illustrations are shades of red, black and white which is typically of books in the mid 1900s as printing full color illustrations was very expensive. Was it worth reading? Absolutely, it's cute, easy to follow and perhaps a bit of a classic as Newberry did win four Caldecott Honors after Mittens was published. Would I read it again, would I recommend it? Probably not and yes to adults who like cat stories or are interested in old titles. If you are looking for a cat title from another era for children, my recommendation is Esther Averill's The Fire Cat.
May 13, 2023
This book tells the story of a little boy named Richard who always wanted a cat. His mom always tells him maybe one day when he is older, they can get one, but that all changes when they go to a farmers’ market one day. There is a kitty for sale there for 25 cents and Richard begs his mom to get him, and she obliges because the kitty has a unique trait. She finds out he has six toes and name him Mittens. They take Mittens home and everything is going good until one day when he got out. They do everything they can to find him, and his dad puts an ad in the paper with a reward. As a result, all kinds of people show up with cats hoping to get the reward, but none of them are Mittens. Then, their neighbor hears a meowing coming from a tree and it turns out to be Mittens. They get him out the tree, and Richard is excited and relieved to have Mittens back to play with for days to come. Such adorable illustrations from Clare Tulay Newberry that truly always bring the cats to life in such a vintage style, as it is from 1936. It represents that time period making the story very enchanting, and a great read at bedtime.
December 27, 2019
It was surprisingly dense in text for a 28-page book, but a decent story nonetheless. I have no idea if a quarter is a fair price for a kitten, but with the back end expenses that both the vendor and customer are considering, I'm sure the upkeep is fair. Especially considering a lot of people can go get a cat off the streets or out of a shelter for free these days. I'm a little skeptical that nobody in Richard's entire family ever mentioned to any of the people trying to claim the reward that the cat in question had mitten paws, because that would have made it a lot easier to rule out every other cat that was brought to them. But all's well that ends well, right?
March 31, 2022
A solid vintage children’s book from 1936 about a little boy who convinces his mother to buy him a kitten. They get it at the Farmers’ Market for 25 cents, and the woman puts it in a paper bag. When the kitten disappears, they put a notice in the paper, prompting all sorts of people to turn up with other cats and kittens in hopes of getting the reward.
This was Newberry’s second children’s book of 17, 4 of which won Caldecott Honors. I think her art grew much stronger later in her career, but this is still a nice story.
This was Newberry’s second children’s book of 17, 4 of which won Caldecott Honors. I think her art grew much stronger later in her career, but this is still a nice story.
June 23, 2025
I LOVE it when books have a page at the end telling about the font &/or typeset that it’s printed in! This was the first children’s book I’ve read that did this!
It states, “Hand-set in Weiss Antiqua type by Arthur Rushmore and Faulkner Lewis at the Golden Hind Press, Madison, New Jersey 1936”.
I liked how it has the uppercase & lowercase S set “upside down”…but I missed that at first because I was obsessed about the lowercase “t” that was preceded by an “e” or a “c”. The top of the “t” curved backwards and touched the e or c. Interesting.
It states, “Hand-set in Weiss Antiqua type by Arthur Rushmore and Faulkner Lewis at the Golden Hind Press, Madison, New Jersey 1936”.
I liked how it has the uppercase & lowercase S set “upside down”…but I missed that at first because I was obsessed about the lowercase “t” that was preceded by an “e” or a “c”. The top of the “t” curved backwards and touched the e or c. Interesting.
September 1, 2020
Cute story and so old-fashioned. If only we lived in a world like this one today!
April 7, 2022
A beautiful vintage book that my 6yo daughter and I have enjoyed. 😍 A sweet story.
September 2, 2022
Heartwarming story with really cool, understated drawings.
January 19, 2011
This book was first published in 1936. Children's books have come a long way and not necessarily in good way.Not that new books are bad this is just so different. It is a book that begs a parent with a lot of time to read this tale to a child. It is a story of a little boy who wants a kitten and finally he gets Mittens. Mittens has six toes which make it look like he is wearing mittens. The vintage illustrations, mainly black, orange and white makes one nostalgic for by-gone days. Little Mittens gets lost and while many other cats show up at his door as the "Lost kitten, reward" none of them are Mittens. Very cute story with adorable illustrations. It is hand-set in Weiss Antiqua type which makes it even more enjoyable to read.
April 5, 2008
Wonderful art work
June 19, 2009
Lovely illustrations and sweet story.
July 13, 2010
A childhood favorite. Beautifully illustrated. I love Mittens!
October 31, 2012
What is it about cats?
June 14, 2013
Sweet story about Richard and his new kitten, Mittens. Love the black and white illustrations in this 1936 classic.
July 29, 2013
My favorite library book in early elementary school; only replaced by Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander. Named my first cat after this book - and yes, the cat was black and white with white paws.
July 14, 2016
Adorable and timeless story with gorgeous illustrations.
August 30, 2017
My mom read me this book when I was very young. I was given it when I was old enough to read and now I still have it and read it to my son. I love it. The photographs, the language. It's amazing.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews