What do you think?
Rate this book
This Story Is Not About a Kitten
A heartwarming picture book about a neighborhood coming together to help a kitten find a home, from a New York Times bestselling author and a Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator.
Contrary to what you may believe, this story is not about a kitten, hungry and dirty, scared and alone, needing a home. It is also not about the dog who heard the kitten meowing sadly. Even less so about the woman and child walking the dog, who stopped when their dog heard the kitten. Nor is it about the friends who brought a box for the kitten, or the man who offered it some milk. No, this story is not about a kitten at all--well, maybe a little--but more importantly this is a story about community, compassion, and generosity.
Randall de S�ve's thoughtful and warm story is sure to fill readers of all ages with hope and the warm fuzzy feeling that rescuing animals brings. Wonderfully complemented by Carson Ellis's breathtaking illustrations, this book is sure to be cherished by animal-loving readers everywhere!
Contrary to what you may believe, this story is not about a kitten, hungry and dirty, scared and alone, needing a home. It is also not about the dog who heard the kitten meowing sadly. Even less so about the woman and child walking the dog, who stopped when their dog heard the kitten. Nor is it about the friends who brought a box for the kitten, or the man who offered it some milk. No, this story is not about a kitten at all--well, maybe a little--but more importantly this is a story about community, compassion, and generosity.
Randall de S�ve's thoughtful and warm story is sure to fill readers of all ages with hope and the warm fuzzy feeling that rescuing animals brings. Wonderfully complemented by Carson Ellis's breathtaking illustrations, this book is sure to be cherished by animal-loving readers everywhere!
40 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2022
6 people are currently reading
435 people want to read
About the author
Carson Ellis
29 books384 followersCarson Ellis is the author and illustrator of the bestselling picture books Home and Du Iz Tak? (a Caldecott Honor book and the recipient of an E.B. White Read Aloud Award). She has illustrated a number of books for kids including The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, The Composer Is Dead by Lemony Snicket, and The Wildwood Chronicles by her husband, Colin Meloy. Carson has been awarded silver medals by the Society of Illustrators for her work on Wildwood Imperium and on Dillweed's Revenge by Florence Parry Heide. She's the illustrator-in-residence for Colin's band, The Decemberists, and received Grammy nominations in 2016 and 2018 for album art design. She works sporadically as an editorial illustrator for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and others publications and exhibits art on occasion. She’s represented by Nationale in Portland.
Carson lives on a farm in Oregon with Colin, their two sons, two cats, one llama, three goats, many chickens, and an unfathomable multitude of tree frogs.
Carson lives on a farm in Oregon with Colin, their two sons, two cats, one llama, three goats, many chickens, and an unfathomable multitude of tree frogs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
January 26, 2023
It takes a village to save a stray kitten in this rhyming book inspired by "This Is the House that Jack Built." Cooperation can be cute, especially with the right art giving it life.
(Another project! I'm trying to read all the picture books and graphic novels on the kids section of NPR's Books We Love 2022.)
(Another project! I'm trying to read all the picture books and graphic novels on the kids section of NPR's Books We Love 2022.)
June 27, 2022
I love this immeasurably. I am a huge sucker for a "family you build", "it takes a village" story. And while I don't have a kitten at all, all of my squiggs (guinea pigs) have been rescue pets.
December 22, 2022
So cute! This would be a great book to use with students of any age to study theme because it lends itself to questions like, “If this book isn’t about a kitten, what is it about? What is the author’s message? And how did the author communicate that message?” Could even go further and prompt students to write their own stories “not about a —-“ to convey a theme of their choice.
October 23, 2022
Shut up, I am NOT CRYING.
October 18, 2022
Brimming with community spirit and compassion, this picture book is a 3.5 for me. Despite the title's disclaimer that it isn't about a kitten, it is, of course, but it's much more than that as various individuals rally together to coax the frightened feline from beneath a car and into someone's arms and home. Told as a cumulative story repeating lines and adding others, the text will surely touch readers' hearts as they follow one mother, her daughter, and their dog and the entire neighborhood in this rescue effort. And after Amber, the newly-named cat is brought home, her new human companions welcome their neighbors inside as well. This picture book is a good example of how the members of a small village--or neighborhood--can come together to help one another and do a good deed. Arguably, if they had not been able to work together, Amber might still have been stuck under that car, too fearful to recognize that help had arrived. Because of its strong message about compassion and community spirit, this picture book would be great to share with youngsters. The striking gouache illustrations fill the pages with color and warmth, alternating white pages with those covered completely in artwork and some attractive double-page spreads that capture the importance of saving a life and being willing to lend a helping hand or two when it's needed. Had it not been for Amber, all those neighbors, now on the verge of becoming friends, would most likely have remained strangers.
November 5, 2022
This Story Is Not About A Kitten, but it is about a community that values the life, and quality of life, of one small, abandoned kitten. Told through repetitive rhyming verse and bright, realistic brush strokes, the young reader will be engaged by the diversity and compassion of a group of neighbors who rally around saving a lost kitten and finding it a safe home.
A good read-a-like for fans of Jan Brett's The Mitten and Lucille Colandro's There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Bat, librarians may discover that Randall de Seve's This Story Is Not About A Kitten will make a perfect addition to the Collaborative Summer Library Program's 2023 theme, All Together Now.
A good read-a-like for fans of Jan Brett's The Mitten and Lucille Colandro's There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Bat, librarians may discover that Randall de Seve's This Story Is Not About A Kitten will make a perfect addition to the Collaborative Summer Library Program's 2023 theme, All Together Now.
November 2, 2022
A kitten crouches under a parked car, scared and alone. A neighborhood full of people go about their business, mostly ignoring one another. And then someone stops, looks, and listens...and a neighborhood comes together.
I loved this book and I loved its message. Helping an animal can bring out the best in people and bring them together. It's far from being something trivial.
I loved this book and I loved its message. Helping an animal can bring out the best in people and bring them together. It's far from being something trivial.
March 2, 2023
A cute cumulative story about community and working together! A bunch of neighbors who have never met band together to help get a kitten out from under a truck (and eventually adopt it and make friends along the way). I found the illustrations really appealing and the characters distinct. The last page was super sweet and cute moral without being too didactic.
February 25, 2023
A "house that Jack built" kind of cumulative story about a community coming together to find a home for an adorable black and white kitten found under a car. Kindness and diversity and a cute cat, with a happy ending!
October 26, 2022
A wonderful and charming little tale.
November 23, 2022
Beautiful story about how an abandoned kitten brings a neighborhood together.
November 19, 2022
5 stars (It was amazing!)
I loved this. I mean, I went into thinking I would like it because it's (not *wink* *wink*) about a cat but I didn't know I would like it as much as I did. This is one of those books where the text builds up (like the I know an Old Lady... books) except in some parts there are slight changes. There are a few surprises that made me giggle and the end is just a heartwarming message about community and the things that bring us together.
Love Love LOVE!
I loved this. I mean, I went into thinking I would like it because it's (not *wink* *wink*) about a cat but I didn't know I would like it as much as I did. This is one of those books where the text builds up (like the I know an Old Lady... books) except in some parts there are slight changes. There are a few surprises that made me giggle and the end is just a heartwarming message about community and the things that bring us together.
Love Love LOVE!
March 30, 2023
At first I really hated the repetition. Then it got better and I no longer hated it. Sweet story that is based on the author's real life! Adorable. The illustrations are alright. When the girl took the kitten from under the car, the illustration of the kitten hissing and fighting made me laugh.
February 10, 2023
This was beautiful!
January 8, 2023
I won’t tell you what this story is about, but I will tell you that it’ll warm your heart. 🥰
Reminds me of when me, dad, and a whole community attempted to save a kitten in Yosemite. 😊
Reminds me of when me, dad, and a whole community attempted to save a kitten in Yosemite. 😊
January 10, 2023
The story had repetition which I think kids would enjoy. I liked the sense of community of everyone helping each other and working together.
August 23, 2024
Looooved this book. Sweet story about community and banding together, and who doesn't love an adorable lost kitty?
February 26, 2023
A clever adaptation of “This Is the House That Jack Built,” this cumulative story shows how neighbors work together to rescue a kitten and end up forming a community. Simple yet engaging artwork.
December 28, 2022
The cute kitten on the cover of this picture book with the contradictory title immediately intrigued me, and from the first few rhythmic lines I was hooked. This sweet story tells readers about a tiny tuxedo kitten found under a car, and how the entire neighborhood comes together to provide it a loving home. I loved that the authors showed the power than an animal has to bring love not just to a home, but to a whole community, and how giving a homeless animal a home can bring neighbors together too. I highly recommend this sweet book about love, community, and the power of giving an animal a home!
December 15, 2022
Read it. One of those add-on repetition stories with a sweet message and lovely illustrations. It was quietly lovely and gorgeous and made me smile and almost tear up. Loved all the players in the game of coax out the cat.
December 9, 2022
This is a very cute book with a good message for adults and children alike. The illustrations are delightful and while the story is about a kitten, it isn't about the kitten at all. It's about community, and being a helper. The world needs more books like this.
December 7, 2022
Could there be a more perfect picture book for sharing the importance of being kind, creating a community, and the importance of taking a chance?! Please read this book, share this story, love the musical-like cadence of the language & enjoy the conversation that this book inspires!
And remember, it's NOT about a kitten 😉
And remember, it's NOT about a kitten 😉
November 22, 2022
I'm a sucker for a cat book, every single time. In this cumulative rhythmic story, it's not about the kitten or the neighbors that come out. Instead, it's about everyone working together to rescue, clean, feed, and house a kitten found under a car. A great book for a kindness storytime.
April 12, 2023
This just reminds me why I prefer secondhand books. A super high Goodreads rating is almost meaningless if the book has been released in the past year or so - it's artificially inflated from all the ARC reviews.
This Story is Not As Good As You'd Expect.
The illustrations are... well, let's just say if I was on the Caldecott committee, things would be different. You know the simplistic, naive look of Last Stop on Market Street? Well it's far, far more naive and simplistic and primitive. The cover shows the best art in the book, I think.
I agree with Adele and the other reviewers - the rhyme scheme is off, the meter is off, and it just reads like a book that's meant to appeal to people who are actively trying to embrace hipsterism (I'm not anti-hipster: I'm merely trying to explain the appeal here). This is a "it takes a village to (rescue a kitten)" message, and "isn't it funny how it brought us altogether? We were strangers before!"-community stuff. That's not a new narrative in any picture book since the 1960s... I've seen it many, many times before, and done better (if I think of the closest comparison, I'll add it here - it's such a common theme or at least secondary theme that it barely registers any more) and that's why it's getting a "it's OK - 2 stars" from me.
And it's also why I'm going back to secondhand books that have been in print long enough for the novelty and marketing shine to wear away. This book just killed new releases for me, and has also caused some nagging suspicions to become serious doubt in the impartiality and taste of the current Caldecott committee. I'm sure they're exclusively fed pre-selected-for-profitability books and have blinders on, that's expected, but come on... I've got Berry Song to read next, which did win (a 'Medalist', whereas This Story Is Not About a Kitten was an Honoree). We'll see if they redeem themselves with that one.
Maybe it should have been a story about a kitten.
This Story is Not As Good As You'd Expect.
The illustrations are... well, let's just say if I was on the Caldecott committee, things would be different. You know the simplistic, naive look of Last Stop on Market Street? Well it's far, far more naive and simplistic and primitive. The cover shows the best art in the book, I think.
I agree with Adele and the other reviewers - the rhyme scheme is off, the meter is off, and it just reads like a book that's meant to appeal to people who are actively trying to embrace hipsterism (I'm not anti-hipster: I'm merely trying to explain the appeal here). This is a "it takes a village to (rescue a kitten)" message, and "isn't it funny how it brought us altogether? We were strangers before!"-community stuff. That's not a new narrative in any picture book since the 1960s... I've seen it many, many times before, and done better (if I think of the closest comparison, I'll add it here - it's such a common theme or at least secondary theme that it barely registers any more) and that's why it's getting a "it's OK - 2 stars" from me.
And it's also why I'm going back to secondhand books that have been in print long enough for the novelty and marketing shine to wear away. This book just killed new releases for me, and has also caused some nagging suspicions to become serious doubt in the impartiality and taste of the current Caldecott committee. I'm sure they're exclusively fed pre-selected-for-profitability books and have blinders on, that's expected, but come on... I've got Berry Song to read next, which did win (a 'Medalist', whereas This Story Is Not About a Kitten was an Honoree). We'll see if they redeem themselves with that one.
Maybe it should have been a story about a kitten.
March 7, 2023
The title’s hook effectively draws you in, as a wide-eyed tuxedo kitten gazes out from the dust jacket, with a quizzical tilt to its head. Obviously the kitten has a role to play. But this thoughtful work unfolds slowly. Three wordless pages, done in rich gouache blues, greens, and earth tones, begin the narrative before we even reach the title page; it continues to pique our interest by featuring not just title, author, and illustrator, but a curious collection of shoes. This is a story for those who delight in visual details. A cumulative tale, in the manner of The House That Jack Built, it begins with a girl and her mom out for a walk, when their dog stops to sniff beneath a parked car on their busy street. They hear a Kitten, "hungry and dirty, scared and alone, meowing sadly, needing a home". Neighbors, one-by-one, page-by-page, pitch-in to help rescue the kitty, and find it a home. One holds the dog’s leash so the girl and her mom can peer beneath the car, others bring a box to hold the kitten, offer her milk, and ask who could take her home? After a bit of a struggle to capture the frightened feline, we see a full-page image of the girl blissfully holding her new kitten, with her arms sporting several bandaids. The penultimate scene shows all the neighbors (in their stocking feet) gathered at the home of the girl and her mom, with Amber, the newly named kitten, cradled amidst the cheerful chatter. Text on the opposite page tells us that, "This story is about the stopping and listening, the holding and bringing, the offering and asking and working together it takes, sometimes, to get there." The final two-page spread gives us a street view as night falls. We can see through the living room window that the get-together continues, while snippets of conversation waft above the tree line, including the line, "I can’t believe you two lived next door this entire time and we never met." The cast of characters is diverse, rendered in lively and expressive illustrations reminiscent of folk art. Based on events in the author’s Brooklyn neighborhood, this gentle story of friendship, compassion, and coming together is a welcome balm in these fractious times.
December 7, 2022
For more bookish thoughts, see my blog: Craft-Cycle
A delightfully sweet story of a neighborhood coming together. This is a nesting-style story in which each element builds on the next in the vein of The Napping House and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly!.
Lovely illustrations that capture the homey feel of the story. I especially loved all the background details and hints of what was coming next.
Heartwarming and impactful. A wonderful tale of new friends coming together toward a common goal. Even more precious that it is based on a true story and that Amber found a loving home.
A delightfully sweet story of a neighborhood coming together. This is a nesting-style story in which each element builds on the next in the vein of The Napping House and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly!.
Lovely illustrations that capture the homey feel of the story. I especially loved all the background details and hints of what was coming next.
Heartwarming and impactful. A wonderful tale of new friends coming together toward a common goal. Even more precious that it is based on a true story and that Amber found a loving home.
January 6, 2023
As a Children's Picture book reviewer:
Super duper uber cute! Beautiful illustrations. Diverse. I love that we are meant to believe the book is about saving a tiny kitten. And it is. But the real message is that in a community where everyone pitches in and helps each other, makes home have more than one meaning.
As an adult cat rescuer:
I wish more people would come together like this and help with rescues. Most of us are doing all the things the whole community did by ourselves most of the time. With juggling our own lifes and doing this multiple times every week occasionally. And sometimes with a whole litter at once. The whole thinking the kitten is adorable but when it comes time to take responsibility and provide care, everyone suddenly has excuses, is absolutely spot on. I would definitely buy this as a gift for cat lovers.
Super duper uber cute! Beautiful illustrations. Diverse. I love that we are meant to believe the book is about saving a tiny kitten. And it is. But the real message is that in a community where everyone pitches in and helps each other, makes home have more than one meaning.
As an adult cat rescuer:
I wish more people would come together like this and help with rescues. Most of us are doing all the things the whole community did by ourselves most of the time. With juggling our own lifes and doing this multiple times every week occasionally. And sometimes with a whole litter at once. The whole thinking the kitten is adorable but when it comes time to take responsibility and provide care, everyone suddenly has excuses, is absolutely spot on. I would definitely buy this as a gift for cat lovers.
January 29, 2023
Before the story starts, we see a picture of a street in a neighborhood.
The text in this story is great. While it isn't a story about a kitten, it is a story about what happened because of the kitten--what a great reminder to keep your perspective about situations and see bigger pictures. The text follows the add-on pattern. A. A+B. A+B+C and so on. But it has fun changing the start point and shifting the focus and going in a different order and keeping things less predictable. Great community book.
The artwork shows this multi-racial neighborhood bonding over their experience in trying to help this cat, even as they mention "I can't believe we haven't met before" and it seems from the pictures that they have really bonded over their efforts. The pictures are bright and colorful. The illustrations feel a tiny bit folk-artsy (in a modern setting) and I really like them here.
The text in this story is great. While it isn't a story about a kitten, it is a story about what happened because of the kitten--what a great reminder to keep your perspective about situations and see bigger pictures. The text follows the add-on pattern. A. A+B. A+B+C and so on. But it has fun changing the start point and shifting the focus and going in a different order and keeping things less predictable. Great community book.
The artwork shows this multi-racial neighborhood bonding over their experience in trying to help this cat, even as they mention "I can't believe we haven't met before" and it seems from the pictures that they have really bonded over their efforts. The pictures are bright and colorful. The illustrations feel a tiny bit folk-artsy (in a modern setting) and I really like them here.
April 13, 2023
Featured in a read-to-grandma session.
This warm little tail. . .is front-loaded with all the things this story is NOT about, in a swingy, lyrical cumulative repetition pattern that humans love. Add to this an engaged, yet sombre youngish feline who has taken cover at what apparently is its last homeless shelter (a broken-down car).
Finally coaxed (our reader's first time encountering this word) out from under, the kitten who this story is not about discovers what this story really is about.
And we will not spoil it for you . . . We give this fine story 5 stars!
This warm little tail. . .is front-loaded with all the things this story is NOT about, in a swingy, lyrical cumulative repetition pattern that humans love. Add to this an engaged, yet sombre youngish feline who has taken cover at what apparently is its last homeless shelter (a broken-down car).
Finally coaxed (our reader's first time encountering this word) out from under, the kitten who this story is not about discovers what this story really is about.
And we will not spoil it for you . . . We give this fine story 5 stars!
January 9, 2025
A story in the for of 'this is the house that Jack built' that keeps repeating each line over and over again till the end.
We are led to believe the story is not about anything happening. A kitten is lost and homeless and this is how it gets a home. It takes a village. Clinton was so wise when she said that. It's true.
The artwork is in gouache. The kitten and animals are cute. It fine and does it's work. The kitten is cute so the story works
Animal lovers will love this story. They will go crazy for it.
We are led to believe the story is not about anything happening. A kitten is lost and homeless and this is how it gets a home. It takes a village. Clinton was so wise when she said that. It's true.
The artwork is in gouache. The kitten and animals are cute. It fine and does it's work. The kitten is cute so the story works
Animal lovers will love this story. They will go crazy for it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews