The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee: The Ultimate Guide to All Things Kitten

by Laurie Cinotto

The skinny on itty bitty kitties, from a real-life Kitten Wrangler! 
 

What do kittens eat? Why do they love to play? How should you hold a kitten? Can you train them? Or do they train you? 
 
This photo-heavy, breezy-yet-informative guide book for middle-grade readers and up comes from the hugely popular Itty Bitty Kitty Committee website. It's full of useful information about kittens as well as funny stories about the many kitties the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee has fostered over the years. The author is the site's mastermind, Laurie Cinotto, who brings years of practical kitten experience to bear. She's joined by another pre-eminent expert on raising kittens—Charlene Butterbean, Laurie's permanent adult cat.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cats, Animals, Childrens, Juvenile, Humor, Photography

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 2014

Reviews

[reading is my hustle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will make you smile, everybody! It might just be the cutest book of kittens ON THE PLANET. Laurie Cinotto is the world's best kitten wrangler. End of story.

See the blog ::

http://www.theittybittykittycommittee...

[Melle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy balls, this is a dangerous book. It will make you want to go out and find a litter of kittens. The photography is gorgeous, the advice is golden for people newly owned or borrowed by cats, and there is a Zelda! (Though she's not nearly as cute as my Zelda.)

[Melissa Wehunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute pics. Cartoons were funny. Fluff.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I work in the Youth Services department of a public library. Our book ordering specialist takes all of our suggestions into consideration. Sometimes, she does this without consulting us and when an awesome title comes in it's a surprise. She knew I'd love this title. It is a juvenile literature pick on how to care for kittens. It is, however, great for all cat lovers of all ages. First, there are a billion great picture spreads. If you are, in fact, like me, then just looking at pictures of cats and kittens can brighten your day. I highly recommend this one. It has a few crafty ideas for cat play, no-sew kitty beds and plenty of tips on how to raise your kittens. Bravo to this family that fosters kittens!


Check out my cat blog for more cat goodness:

http://catographer.wordpress.com/2014...

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHO? I ask you! WHO could resist this pretty-but-not-precious book full of fuzzy little kitty boys and girls, with their soft little paws and shiny eyes? Not me, that's for sure, and I am not usually susceptible to the cute animal stuff.

Based on the blog of a veteran kitten foster mother. Good advice and information for potential kitten owners framed in a variety of ways: as Dear Abby-type letters from kittens to an older cat; embedded in biographies of individual fuzzilicious kittens; in standard sidebars and craft how-tos.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of sweet photos of adorable kittens, including some I don't remember seeing on the blog. More photos than text; what text there is on kitten care and fostering ("kitten-wrangling") is kid friendly. You could definitely give this to a kitty-loving tween.

Of course, my review is completely biased because I adopted two IBKC alums, so I got to see my own sweet girls in here. And yes, my kittens of mass destruction have grown up to be truly wonderful ladycats.

[Emily Rems · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great for kids who need to learn a thing or two about caring for kittens. I read it as an adult because I just adopted two kittens and hoped this "Ultimate Guide To All Things Kitten" would teach me some things I didn't know. Unfortunately, it didn't. But the pictures are SO CUTE. And like I said, it would be great for a kit learning about cat care for the first time.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book about great people helping adorable kittens finding good homes. I have 3 kitties of my own and I just love them and would love to have more but I also have 3 dogs and 2 kids but one day I will have more!!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With lots of adorable kitten pictures and a bit of text that tells the stories of the kittens and their families (human & cat), Laurie Cinotto provides readers with a guide to all things about kittens. There's also "Dear Charlene Butterbean" letters from kids that ask & give advice for how to take care of kittens. Kids will eat this book up for certain.

[Dimitar · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6-year-old daughter wants to become a feline veterinarian so we managed to find this book at our local library. It's fascinating how the author managed to mix all the fun with the creativity and responsibility associated with raising cats. While I don't have cats, her mother (we are divorced) and her new boyfriend have, and they bought her a kitten.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute and informative book about kittens, a little bit on fostering, and FULL of adorable photographs of all the kittens and cats the author took care of. I enjoyed reading this and viewing all the cute cat photos.

[asiya | アセヤ (free palestine) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book! I loved it so much, even up till the very end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to flip through a cute, quick, cat lover's guide.

[Samantha Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonfiction Text: The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee by Laurie Cinotto
Copyright date: 2014
Fiction Text: Yoda The Story of a Cat and His Kittens
My nonfiction text The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee holds a lot of information. The chapters range from how to care for a kitten, what supplies you need to have kittens, stories of individual kittens and kitten families, and kitten facts. My favorite part of this book is that every chapter holds a full page of just kitten pictures and a page of kitten comics. I paired this text with Yoda, a fiction text about a foster cat that goes home with a family that has 4 foster kittens. Yoda, the cat, nurtures the kittens as his own. I paired these two texts because the introduction of the Kitty Committee explains the author’s job at the Human Society. This book is basically propaganda for cat shelters trying to sell their kittens. Along with that, the book shares an incredible number of facts on how to raise the kittens and what you need to know about them. Yoda features a cat that takes care of foster kittens. This book also gives facts about cats. For example, on page 30 of the Kitty Committee, the author states “Kittens dream! If you hear a kitten mew, it means they are dreaming.” In Yoda, the second page illustrates Yoda sleeping with dream bubbles filled with mice. Yoda as a whole book shows the needs for kittens. The Kitty Committee states these facts simply. Both inform children on how to raise kittens. So, a child getting a kitten could read the Kitty Committee on what they eat and how to raise them. Then, the child could read Yoda in order to see how cats need to be treated and nurtured.

[Eden Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part guide for new kitten parents; part memoir of a kitten wrangler

This fun and quirky cat book is part 'guide to new kitten parents' and part 'memoir of a kitten wranger'. It is based on the blog of the same name, run by the author.

Middle grade readers and adults will enjoy the charming stories of Laurie Cinotto's many foster litters of kittens. From the Davenports to the Frosts, Charlene Butterbean and Maddie Bouvier, these kittens have personalities and identities of their own; Laurie is a master at capturing each kitten's essence and sharing it with the reader through photographs and text.

Interspersed with narratives about the lives of the foster kitten families are informational pages about getting a new kitten, bringing it home, caring for it, playing with it, kitten anatomy, feeding a kitten, and more. There are also entertaining portions featuring cat comics, letters to Butterbean, hilarious photos, and my favorite - practical step-by-step instructions to creating your own kitten toys!

This book was simply adorable. It was also very informational, had a lot of great tips for new kitten owners and patterns for making your own toys. It is a great resource for parents getting a kitten for their older child - not only is this a really fun book to read, it has things to learn about cats, and it's something you can go back to when you need help with a kitten later on. Highly recommended for all ages of cat-lovers and pet-owners!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has copious amounts of gratuitous kitten photographs – entire sections devoted to napping kittens, kitten paws, naughty kittens, etc. – but I think I’m perfectly fine with that. It’s adorable. The author is a foster kitten “parent,” and as such, she knows a lot about kitten care. A large portion of the book is the author, Laurie Cinotto, telling stories about the cats and kittens she’s known, which was less interesting to me and seemingly less relevant than 1) the blurbs about cat care, and 2) the gratuitous photos of kittens. This book is intended for the 3rd- through 6th-grade set, and it is focused overall on teaching kids how to care for kittens. It does contain great information on topics such as how to pick up kittens, how to feed them, how to train them, and how to help animal shelters care for cats and kittens. The pages and the text are attractive, with cute retro fonts and details matching the general “adorable” theme, and the text is well suited to upper-elementary readers. They’ll pick it up for the cute pictures of kittens, and they’ll learn from it, too!

[Deborah D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one who wants a kitten should miss this book.
It is written in a loving and packed to overflowing with photos illustrating the endless cuteness of KITTENS!

This would be a wonderful book to read with a relatively new reader who needs to stretch their wings with words and lots of opportunities to discuss colors, counting, comment on eye colors, toys and occasional sightings of the Chief Foster Aunt kitty, Charlene Butterbean! And the first appearance of the next companion kitty for Charlene!

This book is inspired by Laurie Cinotto's blog www.TheIttyBittyKittyCommittee.com
She has fostered kittens and blogged about it for several years now and this book captures the spirit of the blog in print while helping youngsters and their parents understand what kittens & cats need to be healthy & happy.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd be hard-pressed to figure out who wouldn't love this book, filled with several photographs of adorable kittens, all fostered by the book's author. She also has a website featuring the adorable felines that have come into her life briefly. The cats and their unique personalities are the stars here, but middle grade readers will also like the information the author provides about caring for kittens and the easy-to-follow directions for kitty throws, toys fashioned from paper towel tubes, and cardboard houses. One of the most appealing aspects of the book is how the author highlights the kittens' different personalities and appearances. Although some of them look very much alike, each kitten is different if you take the time to observe each one. I love how so many of these cat stories have happy endings.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laurie Cinotto, the self-proclaimed “kitten wrangler”, shares some of her stories of foster and surrendered kittens, not through her familiar Itty Bitty Kitty Committee blog, but with this book version that also serves as a tried-and-true pet care book. Intermediate readers and cat lovers will find a wealth of information about kitten care enhanced by hundreds of endearing photos of kittens. In addition to being an informative pet guidebook, it will also be a great browsing book for the “aw” moments that the photographs elicit. There’s something here for everyone: moving rescue stories, kitty cartoons, kitty profiles, and kitty photography, among others. Pet books are always popular with elementary and intermediate readers. This title will be no exception. It's a good choice for cat lovers of all ages.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Laurie Cinotto, webmaster for the hugely popular Itty Bitty Kitty Committee website, has written a book full of useful information about kittens as well as funny stories about the kittens she has raised over the years. Cinotto and her husband are foster parents for kittens placed by the Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County.

The colorful scrapbook-style layout is packed with practical advice as well as numerous cute kitty pix. Cat lovers will love paging through the photographs of the over two hundred kitties Cinotto has raised over time. The cute factor looms large here! But there is some balance in the practical, informative, and humorous text.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ARC I received only has about 20 pages of the book. Because of that, I’m a bit reluctant to give the book a full, in-depth review. But I can give you my overall impression, which is pretty good. While this is marketed as a middle-grade book, I think younger kiddos will like it too. Proof: My 6-year-old cannot resist this book with adorable kittens on its cover!

[Ginamolter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recommend this book for optional purchase. It is cutesy and fun to look at, but with the picture to text ratio there is very little practical information given. It is good for the reader who likes to read cute cat stories and look at cute cat pictures. The author’s content makes a better blog than it does a book.

[Meisbres · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, so cute! It's actually quite a good introduction to owning a kitten for children. It covers the basics with tons of cute pictures and funny advice letters written by older cat Charlene Butterbean.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every page of this book - the pictures, the stories about the kitties, the ideas for taking good care of kitties, and the how you can help the animals section. I think kids will love this book and will do more than look at the pictures (which are the best).

[Allison Seyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet account of one foster mom's kitten loves.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you never wanted a kitten in your life, you will now.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Answers to all your questions about kittens are accompanied by photos of super cute kitties.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the prime example of what could happen to me if I became a kitten wrangler. They named the litters, not just the kittens!!

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told through photos and cute stories, kids learn the ins and outs of everything about responsible kitten ownership. Would be a great book to get first time junior cat owners.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a Christmas present from my best friend. How could it not be wonderful? It's about fostering kittens and is filled with adorable photos.