Three Little Kittens - Hardcover

Pinkney, Jerry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803735332 ISBN 13: 9780803735330

Publisher: Dial Books, 2010

Synopsis

Young children all know the Mother Goose rhyme of the kittens who have lost their mittens, but they've never seen it illustrated with so much energy, beauty, and flair. Preschoolers will delight in these cuddly kittens as they frolic outside in the falling leaves, get their whiskers sticky while eating a just-baked apple pie, and do the washing-up under Mama Cat's watchful gaze.

Caldecott Medal-winning, New York Times bestselling author/artist Jerry Pinkney brings a gloriously vivid palette, delightful details and tremendous warmth to his version of this favorite nursery rhyme.

About this title

About the Author

Jerry Pinkney was one of America’s most admired children’s book illustrators and illustrated more than one hundred picture books. He won the Caldecott Medal and five Caldecott Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, five New York Times Best Illustrated Awards, and many other prizes and honors. He illustrated two books written by his wife of sixty-one years, Gloria Jean: Back Home and The Sunday Outing. Jerry Pinkney passed away in 2021 at the age of eighty-two. Learn more about his life and legacy at JerryPinkneyStudio.com

Reviews

PreS–The well-known nursery rhyme gets the Pinkney touch in this sumptuous edition. The cherubic felines on the front cover invite readers to follow their mishaps from acquiring the mittens, to losing them, to finding them, to getting them all dirty, to washing them, and–judging from the exuberance of the final spread–losing them again. Pinkney's energetic kittens need every inch of each spread to tell their story. Their mother, who has been represented in past versions as rather fearsome when the kittens confess their carelessness, is gentler here, although clearly long-suffering. Still, she has a sighing patience that children will find comforting. The ability of the youngsters to turn their carelessness into play (finding the lost mittens becomes a counting game, and they seem to have as much fun washing the pie-covered mittens as they did getting them dirty in the first place) is a hidden charm to the rhyme that is developed here; details such as a red cardinal reflected in a stray bubble escaping the washing tub has more "cheer" than "chore" in it. The palette of autumn colors is warm, despite the evidence of mittens and scarves, and the use of white space for the background makes the illustrations sparkle. This is another superb entry in the artist's catalog of classics for a new generation.Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA
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Following his Caldecott Medal–winning The Lion & the Mouse (2009), Pinkney presents another interpretation of a classic, in this case the familiar nursery rhyme about three naughty kittens. The text is well paced and creatively displayed: “meow” and “purr” sounds stand out in color-coded script as a cue for young ones to chant along. Practically life-size, the wide-eyed felines tumble joyously across each full-page spread, losing, finding, soiling, and cleaning their mittens. Throughout, the sense of play is fun and contagious, the threat of punishment gentle but firm, and the rhyme limited yet effective. The pencil-and-watercolor art is characteristic Pinkney and places the romp at the very beginning of mitten season with a pale autumn palette. Some of the figures and shapes lose distinction when viewed close up, but the effect is strong and appealing from a distance. A worthy companion to Paul Galdone’s quintessential 1986 retelling with the same title. Preschool-Grade 1. --Andrew Medlar

Edition details

• Publisher: Dial Books
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803735332
• ISBN 13: 9780803735330
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Pinkney Jerry
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40