Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Fellow librarians who have been around a day or two: Can you believe that Kitten’s First Full Moon came out TWENTY years ago? Kate had asked me to come up with an election picture book and I failed miserably (since we already did So You Want to Be President? and Duck for President previously). So Kevin Henkes used to be Mr. Mice. He just did all mouse picture books all the time. My theory is that the turn came around the time he created Kitten’s First Full Moon. These days, Mr. Henkes is much more inclined to create emotionally resonant square-sized picture books than vertically inclined mouse-related picture books. Little wonder since Kitten won a 2005 Caldecott Award. Today we determine how well this book has aged in the last two decades.

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, PlayerFM, Audible, Amazon Music, or your preferred method of podcast selection.

Show Notes:

If you’d like to see Kevin Henkes reading this book himself, you can do so here:

Poor Kate. American picture books will never give her the cat anuses she so desires in her titles. Gotta go to Europe for those, Kate!

We’ve all been there, Kitten. “What choices led me here?” When you expect to taste one thing and you end up with something else entirely.

This is such an incredible choice, this Muybridge 5-panel sequential art sequence.

Without eyebrows, Kitten’s eyes are humorous. With eyebrows? Sympathetic.

Betsy Recommends: Will & Harper on Netflix

Kate Recommends: Your local first responders organization

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate