Kitten’s First Full Moon
By Written and Illustrated by Kevin Henkes

      Since my daughter is a long time Kevin Henkes fan, it’s a bit surprising to see one of his picture books without a bright quirky mouse as the main character, but Kitten’s First Full Moon manages to be delightful without one. The illustrations will remind adults of the gentle picture books of the past, while still being lively enough to enchant today’s young listener.

      The story shows us a kitten trying to reach the full bowl of milk she sees in the sky. One of the really lovely things about this book is that Kitten fails in her goal. Obviously, she cannot get the moon, but the story ends with warmth and comfort and the realization that failure is not the end of the world. In our “you can do anything that you wanna do” preschool world, it’s nice to see someone telling kids that it’s okay to fail and that they’ll be loved and cared for, anyway.