Kitten's First Full Moon

Week 2: picture book reflection

 

 



Henkes, K. (2004). Kitten’s first full moon. New York: Greenwillow Books 

      Kitten’s First Full Moon is a picture book written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes.  In 2005 it received the Caldecott Medal. The cover of this book is very simple yet interesting in all black and white.  Once the book is opened you will find that the illustrations throughout the book are in black and white.  Although it is illustrated in black and white, the pages seem to shimmer.  The theme of this book sends a message of encouragement to kids and if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.  The plot is a simple story for young readers.  Kitten sees her first full moon and mistakes it for a bowl of milk.  The kitten has unlucky events happen while chasing the bowl of milk.  The kitten gives up on the bowl of milk when he is defeated in the middle of a pond, hungry and wet.  These are the two things that cats hate the most.  At the end of the story his luck finally turns around.  Children are able to cheer for the kitten at the end of the story.

Since the story is about a full moon, this book would be great to open up a thematic unit in science on the moon and its phases and the students could do many writing activities at home.  One great thing they could do is to go outside each night and journal what they see when they look at the moon.  When they get to school they can share with one another and add illustrations. 

Big Questions:  Why did Kitten think the moon was a bowl of milk?  What are other objects, in your everyday life, that look like a full moon?  Why?