April's Kittens

by Clare Turlay Newberry

Since it was first published over fifty years ago, April's Kittens remains a classic cat story and is now made available again in this handsome new edition.

Many children understand April's dilemma when her cat, Sheba, has three kittens. April is thrilled until her father insists that theirs is strickly a one-cat household. April must give up three cats, but which ones? The aptly named Charcoal? Tiger-striped Butch? Sweet-faced Brenda?—or even Sheba?

How April eventually comes up with the perfect solutions makes for a heartwarming story that has appealed to many young cat lovers and will continue to delight generations of children everywhere. Clare's Newberry's enchanting illustrations reflect her fondness for cats; School Library Journal deemed these "beautiful drawings, so real one wants to pet them."

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1940

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am trying to put this book in context to history. This was at the beginnings of WWII. I would think people weren't worried about reading much during this time, probably not buying books, so it's amazing they had books during these years. It is set up as a full page of text and a page of illustration. The art looks like charcoal drawings of kittens. It really is beautiful black and white drawings. The story is a bit long for a bed time story, but I think that was the trend in the early 40s. One book to put them to bed.

April's father calls their apartment a 'one cat apartment'. Sheba is the cat and of course she gets pregnant. Now there are 3 cute kittens. April is forced to chose, one new kitten or Sheba, but 3 cats have to be given away. The ending is a nice compromise. It's a sweet story.

My nephew loves cats, so he was taken by this story. He wants a cat so bad and his dad is allergic, so there will never be a cat.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

April lives in a small apartment with her mother, father and cat called Sheba. Father doesn't want Sheba to have kittens but irresponsibly does nothing to prevent this. When Sheba has kittens he says they must go. April is heartbroken about this, she watches the kittens go one by one. Luckily a change of circumstances means the last kitten who was April's favourite can stay. Lovely illustrations.

Read on openlibrary

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some older picture books leave me cold with their lack of full-color illustrations, and/or with their weird color choices. Not this one. The kittens and cat are beautifully depicted, and the black-and-white feels like a deliberate choice, not a lack of options.

April, the family cat has kittens, and the daughter of the family is wracking her brain trying to figure out whether to keep April or one of the kittens, since her father has declared that the live in a one-cat apartment.

Spoiler: "Happily ever after" isn't scrawled on the last page, but it could be. A classic that has more going for it than just nostalgia.

Library copy

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is less a traditional picture book and more of an illustrated story. It’s a well-written and charming story, and it has an ending that is delightful. The end really won me over.

The illustrations of the cats are good. I didn’t completely fall in love with them, but I liked them a lot.

There was a lot about this story I didn’t like. I believe in spayed and neutered animals, for instance, and given that the cat is a New York City apartment cat, I’m a bit flummoxed about how Sheba managed to have her littler of 3 kittens.

This book was out before I was born, but I don’t remember having read it before now. I found the story very enjoyable, and even though it’s over 60 years old, I think many kids today can continue to enjoy it, especially those who love cats.

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newberry paints adorable, although somewhat static, cats and kittens.
The story was realistic, and I was sympathetic to the girl and cat, but annoyed by the parents -- if the father was set on not having kittens he ought to have kept the pet inside. Given that they live in an apartment building, and it looks like an urban area, it would have been safer in general.

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet and timeless story of a little girl, April, and her family who live in a "one-cat apartment" in New York City. April's dad always warns their cat, Sheba, that they only have room for one cat in their small apartment. But Sheba doesn't pay attention and has three little kittens.

Although this was published in 1940 and won a Caldecott Honor in 1941, it doesn't feel dated at all. Part of that is the style of the illustrations, which don't include any background details but focus solely on the cats or a child with a cat. The story itself also doesn't include any glaring details that would date it. The illustrations of the cats feel like they could jump right off the page and into your lap. And I really liked the solution to the "one-cat apartment" dilemma.

This is a very nice story for cat-lovers and children with pets. It's a bit too long for a library storytime, but it would work well for parents to read aloud to younger children or for new readers ready for a longer picture book to read on their own.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clare Turlay Newberry, a four-time Caldecott honoree - in addition to April's Kittens, her other titles to be so distinguished include Barkis , Marshmallow and T Bone, The Baby Sitter - here presents the charming story of a little girl named April, her cat Sheba, and Sheba's three adorable kittens. Although she comes to be very attached to the kittens - named Charcoal, Butch and Brenda by her father - April knows that she cannot keep them, reluctantly accepting this fact when good homes are found for Charcoal and Butch. But given the choice between Sheba and Brenda, the little girl becomes truly distraught, having come to truly love little Brenda, but being heartbroken at the idea of giving up Sheba. Fortunately, a solution is found when April's parents discover that she has outgrown her crib, and a larger bed simply won't fit in their tiny New York City apartment.

Published in 1940, and chosen as the sole Caldecott Honor Book in 1941, the year that Robert Lawson's They Were Strong and Good won the medal itself, this sweet little story will capture young cat-lovers' hearts. The joy of having young kittens in the house is ably depicted in Newberry's story, as is the anguish of having to find new homes for some of them. Although I agree that some of the elements here felt a little dated - the fact that Sheba can come and go (in order to get pregnant!) in New York City, and that she isn't spayed - I did appreciate the fact that April and her family are responsible, finding good and loving homes for Butch and Charcoal, and (potentially) for Brenda as well. The ending, in which April gets a partial reprieve, is very satisfactory indeed. As for the artwork, done in pencil I believe, it is just lovely, capturing the charm of our feline friends and the joy they bring to our lives. Although I wouldn't describe it as a personal favorite amongst the many cat-centric picture-books I have read, April's Kittens is a sweetly engaging book, one I would recommend to young cat lovers, as well as to fans of Newberry's artwork.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about a family, living in a small apartment in New York City, and their cat, who has a litter of kittens. I had no idea that the book was written before my father was born, and although the narrative had an old fashioned, nostalgic feel, the tale holds up well even today.

Our girls pointed out the fact that the family did not want their cat to have kittens, but did not take the step to have the cat spayed. I explained that it was not a common procedure 70 years ago. Otherwise, I think that children today can empathize with the young girl's plight, wanting to keep all of the pets, despite her father's pronouncement that their apartment was only big enough for one cat.

The illustrations are sparse, but the kittens are very cute and there were a lot of "ohhhh"s and "awwww"s from our girls as we read the book. We discovered this book in a list on Goodreads called Picture Books About Cats, just another reason why I love this website. I don't think we'd ever have found it otherwise. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to be honest - there was way too much text in this book and I stopped after two pages. The gist of it was that in spite of a warning from 6-year-old April's father that they live in "a strictly one-cat apartment" (in NYC), April's cat Sheba gets pregnant and has kittens, and they have to figure out what to do with them. Newberry's books are all about the pictures anyway.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caldecott Honor, 1940

Art Medium: Watercolor, charcoal, and ink

Favorite illustration: page 13

Favorite line: "'Heavens, no' cried Miss Elwell 'I already have too many cats. You should see my meat bill--it's simply appalling.'"

[Anna Zbacnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 5 year old has been sleeping with this book. She gave it15/5 stars...which boosted my rating. Must find her her own copy:)

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a pretty amazing book to read aloud to a six year old girl.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. It was ok. I don’t know that I’d recommend it. I didn’t care for the parent’s interactions - didn’t you know, the dad is always the dumb one. And the little girl was just ok.

I do like Newberry’s illustrations! Just wish the characters had been better/more likable.

Note: parents, this is a longer picture book - lots of words and fewer pictures.

Ages: 4 - 12

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[Linda Lipko · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a lovely 1941 Caldecott Honor Book that stands the test of time. Living in a tiny apartment, April's father repeatedly tells her they are one cat household. When her cat Sheba has three kittens, April loves their tiny pink noses and the soft fur.

Mesmerized, she spends an inordinate amount of time watching over the kittens. Her love of the kittens is balanced with the sadness she feels at her father's comments and his strict adherence to only one cat allowed.

Initially, April must choose between keeping her favorite kitten, or Sheba.

While literally some may think this is fluffy, the way in which the author writes elicits emotions for any animal lover!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

April lives in a tiny apartment. Her cat, Sheba, has three kittens and the father won't allow her to keep them all. She can only choose one cat. She gives away two kittens, but has to choose between Sheba and her favorite kitten. But voila! Everything is saved when the family decides to go apartment hunting the next moring for a bigger place, thus allowing her to keep two cats. Unlikely ending.

I kept thinking, "Why didn't they get Sheba spayed?" But this was written in 1940 and maybe people didn't do that as much back then.

The illustrations of kittens are lovely.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the story is probably too wordy for the modern child being read to, the illustrations and the characters create a snapshot of life that's so easy to understand that you feel like you got a little chance to eavesdrop on a family for a little bit. I felt blessed to be included in this family circle and came away smiling at the solution (that reminded me somewhat of Chi's Sweet Home, Volume 1 but in a very good way.

I kind of wish storytelling was still like this today.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

1941 Caldecott Honor

I wanted to give this only 2 stars, but the illustrations were great. I really enjoyed them and thought they told their own story, separate from the text. A cute book for its time.

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

It doesn't get any better than Clare Turlay Newberry. Anyone interested in children's literature whether it is so read to a child, teach or write and illustrate their own books needs to start here. This is how an excellent picture book is done, folks.

[Stefania · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was lovely for a 1940 book. My favourite bit was when they talked about Miss Elwell “she lived in a small apartment. However, having no husband or children, she NATURALLY had more room for cats”. That could have easily been me in the 40s! 😂

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but very dated

[Anna Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the frank conversation in this book. Imperfect parents. Imperfect petowners. Imperfect child. It's sad and sweet. The illustrations are cute stills of the cats not of the action.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awwww... A heartwarming children’s book that manages to inspire thoughtful consideration, including about the power of giving and having names. I love the cat images. Thanks to Molly for the gift.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A while ago I was tagged by one of my friends on Facebook to post a list of 10 books that had stayed with me. They didn't have to be the best books I'd ever read. I wasn't supposed to think for days about which books to choose, just post a list of books that, for whatever reason, were ones that stuck in my mind somehow. The first book on my list was April's Kittens, a book I'd read many, many times as a little kid and one that informed my concept of loyalty. My husband was surprised by this choice because unlike the other books on my list, like Watership Down and The Little Prince for example, I had never mentioned this one. Lo and behold, it was still in print and available on Amazon, and he got me a copy for my birthday last year. Major nostalgia rush for me and brownie points for him. I reread it, although I didn't need the reread to remember the exact part of the story that affected me so strongly and had the impact on my personality "I want Sheeeeeba. My husband also read it and could see why this particular story had stuck in my brain for the 40+ years since I read it. As an adult, after an unsuccessful attempt to acclimatize our first cat to an additional cat, there was no question which cat we would keep. Not the cute kittenish stray who had just joined us, but our older original cat. She's the one who had my loyalty. It's much easier to find a home for a cat that's still basically a very cute, playful, big kitten. I still cried when that second cat left, I'd love to save all da kittehs, but I remember "I want Sheeeeeba" running through my head that day. I like to think of myself as a very loyal person and April's Kittens was one of the early earliest influences in that regard.

tl;dr Dance with the one that brought you.

[Cassandra Gelvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Textbook deus ex machina ending.

An inane, contrived story. The illustrations are kind of cute, kind of smudgy. It was written in 1940 and it's pretty dated.

A little girl lives with her parents and a cat in an apartment in New York. The father says it's a "one-cat apartment." And then the cat has three kittens, and the little girl falls in love with one of the kittens, but doesn't tell anyone because she doesn't want to play favorites, and really she wants to keep them all. Two people come by and each of them adopts a kitten, luckily not the one the girl has fallen in love with. Of course. Because that would just be sad. The parents decide that the girl would like to play with the kitten more than the adult cat, so they plan to get rid of the adult cat. But the little girl realizes that the cat is going to go to her aunt's house, where nobody really wants her, and she feels sad and worries about the cat and what's going to happen to her. She declares that she wants to keep the cat and give away the kitten. Then they suddenly decide to move to a larger apartment. The end.

Their excuse is that the little girl is growing out of her small bed and will need a larger one which won't fit in the apartment, but that seems like something you should think about before having a child in a small apartment. Seriously. It's just dumb.

For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

• 1941 Caldecott Honor Book •

“Nobody has much room in New York because so many people are trying to live there at the same time.”

I wasn’t really sure about this book but I liked the ending. The drawings aren’t my style but it’s so impressive how simple yet expressive they are. There’s a lot I don’t get about the story - Sheba is an apartment cat in NYC and while her family lives in a “one cat apartment” she somehow manages to get pregnant. How? I guess she roams the streets. I get that she wasn’t spayed because that wasn’t really common when this book was written. But if they didn’t want her to have kittens, maybe they shouldn’t have let her outside. Also, what does it teach a child if the cat has kittens, and you have to give away all but one, and initially they decide to get rid the mother Sheba?? Out with the old, in with the new? What on earth. This is a typically longer and text heavy book that was common years ago, but the story is actually readable and interesting.

Materials used: unlisted (probably charcoal, ink & watercolor)
Typeface used: unlisted

[Ilana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. I can't remember if I read it when I was younger. I didn't recognize the story. A great, classic Caldecott Honor book first published in1940. A book I would have loved when I was in the 4-6 year-old range. A great family story of a little girl and the love of her cat and one of the kittens her cat Sheeba has from a litter of 3. Black and white simple illustrations with red text captions of these illustrations. Great character description of April and her family. Book is great for pre-k through 2nd or 3rd grade for a read aloud or book study. In reading online found another book by this author, Marshmallow that is based on a trie story and sounds adorable. It also won a Caldecott along with 2 others of Newberrys books in the 1940's.
(4+) (Early Caldecott winner)

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

April and her family live in what her father calls a "one-cat apartment." When April's beloved cat Sheba has 3 kittens she must choose which of the 4 will be the 1 cat the apartment allows for and find good homes for the other 3. In the end, April cannot choose between Sheba and one of her kittens the family has named Brenda so the family begins look for a "two-cat apartment." A very long story about cats. The artwork was better than the story which was quite long and dragged in spots. The cats are drawn in such a way that they look soft to the touch. The drawings are in black and white and make good use of white space to show definition on the individual cats. Highlights of red appear throughout the pictures, either as the red of the cats' tongues or the blush in the cheek of a child.

[SamZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the Caldecott honor for 1941 and I definitely think it was better (both in illustrations AND story) than that years' medal winner: They Were Strong and Good
As far as "Kittens" goes, I really enjoyed it. The story was simple and sweet, but still had a lot of depth and imagination that would hold the attention of younger readers. Not just then, but I think today, as well. The illustrations fit the tone of the book, sweet and subtle. I loved the way the kittens had more distinguishing features than the humans, but the people weren't merely forgotten, either. These illustrations were adorable and perfect for the accompanying storyline.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could tell while reading this book that the language and some words are a little old fashioned, and when I saw it was written in 1940 I was not too surprised. However, this is a unique story about a little girl's love for her cat and new kittens. It is rather lengthy, so I would recommend it for upper elementary students to read during independent reading time or a lesson on dialogue and characters. I found that it emphasizes strongly on feelings, adjectives, and dialogue between characters, so I think it could be used as a good narrative to read while students are learning about dialogues between different characters and how characters react to situations.

[Typhani]

Summary: A cat named Sheba unexpectedly has three kittens. The girl, April is thrilled until her father insists that theirs is strickly a one-cat household. April must give up three cats, but can't decide which ones. How April eventually comes up with the perfect solutions makes for a heartwarming story that has appealed to many young cat lovers and will continue to delight generations of children everywhere.

Genre: Picture Book/Children's Literature

Audience: K-5

Theme/Life Lessons:

Recommendations/Awards: Caldecott Honor