The Lost Kitten

by Lee Lee, Komako Sakai (Illustrator)

Overview

When a tiny stray kitten turns up on the doorstep, Hina and her mother take the kitten in. Hina makes a home for it and learns all about caring for a living creature. Then one day the kitten goes missing.



This is the eagerly anticipated new picture book from Japan's leading illustrator Komako Sakai, whose atmospheric illustrations are filled with grace.



The Lost Kitten is a perfectly simple story about finding something to love then fearing it is lost, drawn with a light touch.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781776571260
Publisher:	Gecko Press
Publication date:	04/01/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD490L (what's this?)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Born in Tokyo in 1964, Lee is a hair and make-up artist whose work has been featured in magazines, commercials, film, and theater. The Lost Kitten is his first book.

Komako Sakai lives in Japan and studied art in Tokyo. She is one of the most popular children's illustrators in Japan and winner of the Japanese Picture Book Prize, and her books are published throughout the world.

Editorial Reviews

"Hina and her mother are surprised to find a skinny, scruffy kitten outside their door. The mother cat and two other kittens are nearby, but the little one seems to need special care. Hina's mother reassures the mother cat and then takes the kitten inside to clean and feed it. Love and compassion are evident on each page as Hina's mother shows her what to do to care for the kitten. When her mother leaves for a few minutes to get cat food, Hina and her grandmother look after the kitten, but when the kitten briefly goes missing, she remembers how scared she was once when she was lost in a store, furthering her resolve to find and care for her new friend. Multitextured illustrations have the look of paint on wood, with soft,
visible brushstrokes, which renders the images in streaky, gently abstracted shapes, though never at the expense of clarity. Originally published in Japan, this sweet, beautifully illustrated story emphasizes both empathy and compassion. Perfect for little animal-lovers."—Booklist

From the Publisher

04/01/2017
PreS-Gr 1—This gentle picture book by a popular Japanese illustrator and a debut author is a strong story about love and belonging. Young Hina and her mom find a stray cat leaving a sick kitten on their doorstep to be nurtured. At first, Hina wishes for a cute cat from the pet shop, but when the kitten stares at her with beautiful blue eyes, Hina is amazed that something so small can be alive. After a warm bed and a litter box are set up, Mom leaves Hina to care for the kitten while she buys cat food. Hina fears she's lost the kitten and remembers how scared she was when she got lost at the market. Knowing that the kitten must be just as frightened, Hina realizes it is up to her to keep the feline safe, and she frantically searches everywhere only to discover it bundled up in her sweater, asleep. Sakai's soft lines and blended gray, blue, and pink pastels complement the quiet tone of the text and give strong emotion to the simple, concise sentences. VERDICT More than a basic stray kitten tale, this is a sweet selection about being lost and found. The cozy ending will fill listeners with hope. Best shared one-on-one or with a small group.—Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

2017-02-14
A girl and her mother give a kitten a forever home.In this charming import from Japan via New Zealand, Hina and her mom discover a kitten on their doorstep. It's been brought to them by its own mother, who seems to beg this family to take in and care for her scrawny newborn. Though Hina is initially reluctant to keep the newcomer, her mother agrees immediately and begins to demonstrate for her daughter—and readers—responsible, loving ways to care for a helpless new pet: gently washing it; promising a next-day visit to the vet; advising soft stroking; feeding it; and encouraging Hina to let the animal be while it acclimates. After such tender TLC, the kitten finds safe haven under some furniture, and girl and mom fashion some important cat necessities. By this time, the child's changed her mind, but the plot turns when Hina suddenly realizes the kitten is missing and searches everywhere, finally locating her new pet in her closet, blissfully napping on her sweater. The simple storyline is sweetly told. The paint-and-colored-pencil illustrations stand out, with Sakai achieving a textured, scratchy, smudged look that wonderfully captures both the humans' and the cats' personalities; the adorable, blue-eyed kitten is marvelously realistic and winsome, its coat palpably soft. Mother and daughter have pinkish-tan skin, and Hina, especially, is most expressive. This lost kitten will easily find enraptured readers, especially among cat lovers. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews