A Quieter Story

PreS-Gr 1--A girl settles into her art space to write a story about her kitten, but her kitten is not satisfied with the plot she is developing. He wants more excitement, more action, more pizazz. The girl takes his advice and changes the setting to one that is more exciting; a jungle full of venomous and dangerous creatures. Moving through the story as it develops, the kitten, at first, takes it all in stride, but as the plot thickens, the kitten becomes frightened and wants the story to end. The girl and her precocious little kitten decide to tell a quieter story instead. Set in the home of the young girl in the beginning, the story begins to take on the setting of the tale she is writing, going from the bright light of her home to the dark tones of the ominous jungle. The emotions and feelings of the kitten are adorably evident in the way he is painted and his thoughts are highlighted for readers using red text that contrasts with the speech bubbles containing the black text of the young girl's words. The mixed media illustrations are vibrantly rich and delightfully entertaining. The spunk and charisma of the cheeky little kitten makes him an amusing and endearing character. VERDICT A charming tale of "be careful what you wish for" for young children.--Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"The appealing artwork was created using a variety of media, resulting in a nicely varied, upbeat look. . . . Lively and amusing, this story about making stories will likely find eager listeners—and may just inspire some writing projects, too."—Kirkus Reviews

"Woodruff's mixed-media illustrations, done in watercolor, colored pencil, pen, and ink, work well both for the quiet playroom and the wild jungle setting. Readers will love following the collaboration between the girl and her kitten in this thought- and art-provoking book."—Booklist

"The imaginative child's art benefits from Woodruff's own deft use of cheery colors in her mixed-media illustrations, as the girl adds cartoony-looking vipers, hyenas, and 'ROCKETS! ROBOTS! LIGHTNING! SHARKS!' to the scene, while the now-wide-eyed cat becomes increasingly (and humorously) more nervous-looking." —The Horn Book

"The mixed media illustrations are vibrantly rich and delightfully entertaining. The spunk and charisma of the cheeky little kitten makes him an amusing and endearing character. A charming tale of 'be careful what you wish for' for young children." —School Library Journal