MotherReader

Kittens! Kittens! Kittens!
written by Susan Meyers, illustrated by David Walker
Just. So. Cute. Lots of kittens everywhere doing the things kittens do in a soft lovely art style and sing-song rhymes. "Finding tails to stalk and chase, Washing whiskers, ears, and face. Pouncing, bouncing, mewing kittens, Busy, up-and-doing kittens." There may be a story involved of a family raising the kittens and at least one child getting his new kitten, but honestly, with all the kitteny cuteness, I lost track of a plot. I just wanted to jump into the story and play with those sweet, fluffy kitties. Ah-dorable.

There are Cats in This Book
by Viviane Schwartz
Bright, fun, clever and let's repeat fun, this book will surely entertain any toddler or preschooler. Using cutouts, flaps, and oddly shaped pages, the book interacts with the reader in a - can we use fun again? - fun way. The end papers even get in on the act with the first words on bright blue informing the reader that "The cats aren't on this page." They aren't on the next page either, but then move ahead to see purring and a quilt as a large flap. Lift it to find three awakened kitties, surprised and then happy to play with you. The cats address the reader the whole time, asking for pages to be turned, yarn to be tossed, and boxes to be opened. The happy cats are brightly and simply drawn, which lends even more of a surprise to finding the pages with more detail. This is a truly delightful book to share with a child and just plain - yes, I'll say it again - fun.

Posy
by Linda Newbery, illustrated by Catherine Rayner
Posy is a most delightful kitten who tangles yarn, swipes crayons, and cuddles mommy. The abstract style may surprise those looking for a standard, sweet watercolor, but offers so much more in the artistic interpretation. The illustrations are amazing with a sense of texture and movement that springs from the page. The slight, rhyming text is geared to the youngest readers and the gentle story of exploration will bring them back again and again. The gorgeous illustrations will have the adults itching to tear a page out and frame it. Restrain yourself.

Every storm passes by eventually.

Well, unless it’s one of those little cartoon clouds which hover above an unfortunate woman as she tries to dodge the storm. She escapes briefly into the first beautiful day of this spring, and then BAM! Lightning strikes in the form of water dripping down the side of the house while the dishwasher is running. Like that’s not going to be a huge problem.

It’s possible I’ve even infected other members of my family. How else to explain my seventh-grade daughter’s Improv group’s first Theatresports competition? Her school has had two practices, compared with the other ten teams that have run year-long. In the first round, her team went second, so she didn’t have any time to get a sense of the action. In the third round, her team went first — in a game that they didn’t even know. Now that’s real improv. My daughter actually did pretty well in that scene, taking control and committing to the role. But come on — ten teams, three rounds, and her team goes second and first in two of them? Am I wearing some kind of metaphysical “kick me” sign?

But then there are moments when your white cat rolls around in the dust on the sidewalk — except this particular dust happens to be chalk dust...


And all seems right with the world, however briefly.

I’m not in the mood for a Nonfiction Monday posting today. It seems I’ve got some plumbing issues to address. But I’ll point you to host Mommy’s Favorite Children’s Books for some great books of the nonfiction kind.