This Story Is Not About a Kitten

by Randall de Sève, Carson Ellis (Illustrator)

Overview

A neighborhood comes together to help a kitten without a home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593374535
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	11.38(w) x 9.32(h) x 0.44(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Randall de Sève is the New York Times bestselling author of award-winning picture books that have been translated into many languages worldwide. All of her stories spring from real-life experiences, then take shape in her imagination. This Story Is Not About a Kitten was inspired by the rescue of a kitten from under a car outside Randall’s home, by a team of huge-hearted Brooklyn neighbors.

Carson Ellis is the author and illustrator of the bestselling picture books Home and Du Iz Tak? She also collaborated on the Wildwood Chronicles with her husband, Colin Meloy. She lives with her family near Portland, Oregon.

Editorial Reviews

★ 2022-08-17
In this gently rhyming cumulative tale, a stray kitten is the catalyst for neighbors coming together.

The initial double-page spread—which repeats the book’s title—shows a stylized view of a neighborhood where houses sit close to each other, telephone wires overhead, and vehicles are parked in the street near gray trash cans (one overturned) and blue recycling bins. The palette is full spectrum, with grays dominant over subdued greens and blues. After a page turn, we see a kitten huddling near trash underneath a car: “A kitten, hungry and dirty / scared and alone / meowing sadly / needing a home.” Each succeeding part of the text introduces a new, helpful character, à la “The House That Jack Built” (“This story is not about the dog // who stopped when it heard the kitten”), always beginning with a phrase about how this story is not about that character and eventually ending with the litany about the kitten. The climax occurs when the kitten has been fed, rescued, and named but has no home. At this point, the tried-and-true narrative style deviates appropriately with text that includes short speech balloons. It partially reemerges for an enormously satisfactory and sweet ending. Perfect for read-alouds, the thoughtfully created text is complemented by artwork that shows a happy diversity in the neighbors’ appearances, from stocky, red-bearded twins to a young Black girl who takes in the kitty.

A winsome take on “The House That Jack Built” and a tribute to the power of community. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

★ "Perfect for read-alouds… and a tribute to the power of community." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"[A] celebration of cooperation and simple kindness" —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher