Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | EASY MAR | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | EASY MAR | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | EASY MAR | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | EASY MAR | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | EASY MAR | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | EASY MAR | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | EASY MAR | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Kitty Cat should be getting ready for school, but instead, she's practicing her purr, looking for her socks, chasing a little mouse, and more. Will Kitty Cat make it out of the house in time for school? Adorable pastel illustrations rendered in watercolor paints and colored pencil bring Kitty Cat so close you'll want to reach out and touch her!
The author and illustrator of Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up? have donated this book to the Worldreader program.
Author Notes
Children's writer Bill Martin, Jr. was born and raised in Hiawatha, Kansas. Ironically, the future early childhood educator had difficulty reading until he taught himself, before graduating with a teaching certificate from Emporia State University.
After graduation, he taught high school drama and journalism in Kansas. He served in the Army Air Force as a newspaper editor during World War II. He wrote his first book, The Little Squeegy Bug, for his brother, Bernard, an artist, to illustrate while recuperating from war wounds. It was published in 1945 and the brothers would go on to collaborate on 10 more books by 1955.
He earned a master's degree and doctorate in early childhood education from Northwestern University and became principal of an elementary school in Evanston, Ill., where he developed innovative reading programs. In 1962 Martin moved to New York City to become editor of the school division of Holt, Rhinehart and Winston where he developed the literature-based reading programs Sounds of Language and The Instant Readers.
Martin returned to full-time writing in 1972 and ended up writing over three hundred children's books during his career. His titles include; Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?, The Ghost-Eye Tree, Barn Dance, and Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom. He died on August 11, 2004 at the age of 88.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A dawdling kitten and her patient mother take part in a daily ritual that will be familiar to parents and children: "Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, are you waking up?/Not yet Mother, I'm a sleepy buttercup." The two continue their back-and-forth exchange as Kitty Cat dilly-dallies and Mother urges her through each step of the morning routine and gets her off to school. Martin uses the repetitive formula that worked so well in Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do you See? (1983) and, more recently, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? (2007, both Holt), but this time the cumulative questions actually advance a narrative. Kitty Cat is the star of her own show, romping across the pages, knowing that she will eventually get to where she needs to be. There is never a sense of urgency on Mother's part, either, which makes the final line "Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, now we have to go!/Okay, Mother, I'm sorry I'm so slow" seem like an unexpected chastisement. The accompanying picture of mother and daughter sharing a warm hug helps to defuse the negativity. Bryant's illustrations, rendered in watercolor and colored pencil, are playful, light, and absolutely adorable. This book is perfect for sharing one-on-one, preferably while snuggling.-Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Charming and forgettable, this slight collaboration has undeniable appeal but little real substance. Kitty Cat is an adorable, anthropomorphized version of a poky preschooler. She keeps her mother waiting while she shrugs off sleep, practices her purr, misplaces her clothing and chases a mischievous mouse. Watercolor-and-colored pencil illustrations focus on the endearing grey-and-white kitten while including plenty of pretty patterns and interesting textures. To Bryant's credit, her illustrations succeed in being engaging without being excessively cute or overly saccharine. The rhyming couplets, unfortunately, do not fare as well. The sing-song rhythm and repeated phrases get tiresome despite the brevity of the text. Some rhymes seem forced (what exactly is "a sleepy buttercup"?), though others nicely capture the playfulness of a young child. Given the perennial allure of cats as characters and of Martin's reputation, odds are good this will find a wide audience. Young listeners may enjoy hearing it read through once, but they're more likely to pore over the pictures than request repeat readings. Adequate but uninspired. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In many households, getting children out of bed, dressed, fed, and ready for school is an action-packed daily drama, filled with unexpected glitches and strange twists of direction. This delightfully comic rhyming book sets the struggle in a cat household, with one adorably recalcitrant kitten reenacting actions that engender the parental response, how can this be taking so long? For every hurry-up directive the mother cat gives, the kitten has one refrain: Just a second, Mother. Readers see the kitten snuggling on the pillow, standing on its head in bed, tearing apart the bedroom in search of socks, discovering and chasing a mouse. All is mayhem and panic. A tiny mouse serves as an interested observer in each watercolor, until he becomes prey, and then one very relieved escapee, as the kitten is finally swept off to school. Children should enjoy this recasting of their own getting-ready sagas.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2008 Booklist
