A Kitten Tale

by Eric Rohmann

Once there were four kittens who had never seen snow. The first three kittens are wary—snow is cold, it’s wet, it covers everything. As the seasons pass and winter begins to loom, the three skittish kittens worry. But the fourth kitten is getting excited. Snow will cover everything! “I can’t wait!”

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Storytime, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Family

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 8, 2008

About the author

Eric Rohmann won the Caldecott Medal for My Friend Rabbit, and a Caldecott Honor for Time Flies. He is also the author and illustrator of Bone Dog, Clara and Asha, A Kitten Tale, and The Cinder-Eyed Cats, among other books for children. He has illustrated many other books, including Last Song, based on a poem by James Guthrie, and has created book jackets for a number of novels, including His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman.

Rohmann was born in Riverside, Illinois in 1957. He grew up in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago. As a boy, he played Little League baseball, read comic books, and collected rocks and minerals, insects, leaves, and animal skulls.

Rohmann has his BS in Art and an MS in Studio Art from Illinois State University, and an MFA in Printmaking/Fine Bookmaking from Arizona State University. He also studied Anthropology and Biology. He taught printmaking, painting, and fine bookmaking at Belvoir Terrace in Massachusettes and introductory drawing, fine bookmaking, and printmaking at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. He lives in a suburb of Chicago.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericro...

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three nervous Nellies and one adventurous Pollyanna anxiously await their first snow. The timid cats soon learn that fun adventures await those brave enough to get out there and try new things. Super cute illustrations!

[Sharon Huether · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four little kittens experience life, three are afraid of falling leaves and the fourth is excited about it.
Soon snow will be coming, they all felt the same way.
The story emphasizes the power of a positive outlook.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found nothing inspiring about the story but the illustrations are absolutely charming! Something about these kitties just tugs at my heartstrings, they are oh-so-adorable! I think I hear them purring now! ;->

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute! This story takes the kittens through four seasons, from spring to winter. Rohmann certainly has observed how kittens behave. In one picture, there are two bowls of kibbles on the floor. Instead of all the kibbles being in the bowls, Rohmann has shown some of them on the floor outside the bowls--so true and typical at my house. I'm not sure that all cats enjoy the snow, but young ones seem to. Cute story! Cat lovers will enjoy it.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple tale about four little kittens, three who dread snow and one little kitten who can't wait! Nice for toddlers.

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about four kittens who have never seen snow. Readers follow the kittens through the changing seasons, watching as one kitten eagerly awaits in anticipation, while the others grow leery of the unknown, snow. The colorful yet simple illustrations were made using Japanese woodcuts, which ultimately helped contribute to the powerful understatement of this story. While the facts and feelings were presented in the overall text, readers were able to draw from their own experiences and emotions to contribute to the overall mood. This is probably one of my favorite pieces of Rohmann’s work because it portrays the importance of adventure and how trying something new can be rewarding.

Uses in the Classroom:

A Kitten Tale would be a fabulous story to use to teach young children about the four seasons of the year. Rohmann’s colorful illustrations make it easy for students to see the differences between summer, fall, and winter. Since Rohmann does not include the season of spring, students can create their own illustrations, using any media, of the four kittens experiencing it, making sure that they include its common characteristics (new life, budding plants, etc.).

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the seasons pass, four playful kittens anticipate what it will be like when snow comes for the first time in their young lives. Three dread the cold, wet drifts that will be “heaped to their whiskers,” but the fourth kitten, depicted as the most mischievous in Rohmann’s bright, expressive relief and monotype prints, can’t wait. When the dreaded first snowfall comes to pass, the three scaredy-cats hide at first, but ultimately realize the fourth kitten had it right all along – snow is fun! For its understanding of children’s natural fear of the unknown and encouragement of a positive outlook, I would recommend this book for preschoolers. The elegantly spare text also makes it a good option as an early read-alone book.

[Rilee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of bright and colorful illustrations that take four kittens on a journey through the four seasons. One kitten in particular eagerly anticipates seeing snow for the first time. The final pages of the book are the most exciting for the kittens as they experience winter. This fun, loving, and sweet tale is great for young children at any time of the year.

“A Kitten Tale” would be a fabulous story to use to teach young children about the four seasons of the year. Rohmann’s colorful illustrations make it easy for students to see the differences between summer, fall, and winter. Since Rohmann does not include the spring season in this book, we could have students create their own illustrations of the four kittens during spring time.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about being bold and not allowing yourself to succumb to the fears of others, this would appeal to a younger elementary grade audience. Three kittens are afraid of their first winter, but the fourth one looks forward to its arrival. When it arrives, he runs out into the snow, welcoming it happily. When the other kittens observe his bravery and the fun he's having, they all adopt his bold stance and fun is had by all. It's simple, but well done.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three little kittens hear about different kinds of weather for the first time, and they are afraid. But the fourth kitten is excited to experience something new. When the weather finally does come, they must decide how to respond.

This is a simple and formulaic story with really simple and cute illustrations. The writing is subtle and repetitive while making a larger point. It's a fun read, and I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who loves cute pictures of cats.

[Alicia Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute story about three kittens afraid of snow and one brave kitten who not. Adorable art work too.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's so darn cute. Plus I love cats so this book was awesome. Illustrations are adorable and the story is about them seeing snow for the first time and not wanting to go outside, but one of the cats is always really excited and can't wait. When the time comes and snow falls for the first time, that cat shows them how fun snow can be.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars Sometimes when a group is saying "this is stupid" and they have no first hand experiences...it may be hard to stand up and say "this is cool" Such is this book. All the kittens say that don't want winter to come because snow is wet and cold.
When it snows one cat goes out and plays "It is WET AND COLD" and he is having a blast....so the other 3 kittens decided snow is a blast too!

[elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. Very sweet! I think I flipped through this when we first got it in, but didn't really stop to read it. I'm glad that I sat and read it through today. It's excellent for a winter storytime.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story about four kittens experiencing the changing of the seasons, anticipating the cold of winter. Adorable kittens, decent narrative. Quick read. We've borrowed this one a couple of times from the library.

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

[Lorilynn Pumphrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Copyright - Eric Rohmann
Number of Pages - 32
Book Format - Print
Reading Level - Ages 2-4
Genre - Fiction
Lit Requirement - Predictable Books and Word Play
Summary: The dreaded snowfall is soon to come and the kittens are not ready for it, except for one. When this kitten goes out in the snow to be adventurous and play, the others decide it’s not so bad!

Response: This book is cute and can be a great way to begin the winter season and to learn a little more about your kids! Great questions could be “Do you like the snow?” or “What are some things you like to do in the snow?” Overall, I would recommend this book!

[Lia Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cute and cuddly tale by Eric Rohmann is all about not expecting the worse from a new experience. Yes, snow is wet and cold. But can it be fun, too? Yes! We all need reminders to look on the bright side when something is unfamiliar to us. And the kittens – what a beautiful and playful way to illustrate that point. Embrace the unusual with open paws!

[Bailey Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book to read a loud to younger children who might have the tendency to be wary and unsure of the unknown. It is a good lesson to teach that new things might be scary but it's always good to try and you might like it. The text and pictures are very simple and easy for young children to follow along.

[Tayler K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow four kittens through the seasons as they anticipate their first snow. Three of the kittens are very nervous about the snow being cold and wet and piling up high, but the fourth kitten is excited to see snow! When it finally comes, the yellow kitten rushes out to play. Soon its siblings see that the snow can be fun!

These illustrations are SO CUTE.

[Abigail Breaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are 4 kittens in this story. The fourth cat seems to be much braver than the other two. The kittens are scared of snow because they have never experienced it before. The fourth kitten helps the other three face their fears and play in the snow. I loved the illustrations in this story. I liked that some pages did not have text on them so we could make our own predictions.

[Lindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My three year old loved it. Read it multiple times in one sitting. I liked that there's more to the story than the words on the page(frog leaping in pond, hiding kittens, etc), so my daughter could tell me things she saw in the pictures after (or while) I was reading the pages to her.

[Claudia Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book goes through the seasons with kittens enjoying what the new season brings. But out of the four kittens, the third kitten is the only one that "can't wait " for snow. And one winter morning, they wake up to snow. The third kitten goes out to play in the snow and when the other kittens see how much fun he's having, they join in the snow fun.

God book to show children that all seasons can be fun. It's good to experience a new thing.

[Courtney Gaddis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book about cats and snow. I think that this would be a good book for students to read and appreciate the illustrations as well. It plays to the interests of student and will help especially the younger students.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kittens​in artwork created by Jeff Rohmann? Yes.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out fun, but kind of petered out to just meh. Fantastic illustrations, I probably won't use it for story time.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet story that would work for either a winter or cat themed storytime.

[Mister David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three kittens dread the coming of winter, but one of them is excited about it and loves playing in it.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book about kittens and the snow.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Very short but effective story. I liked the message about approaching new experiences with enthusiasm rather than fear.