Itty Bitty Kitty

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Memorial Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 13, 2015

Review

A happy, giant, purple cat on the cover. What could be better than that? An equally fun and engaging story, that's what. Open this book and have fun. Ava wants a cat. Her parents say no. She stomps off to the park to sulk. But low and behold there is a tiny, adorable purple kitten in a box begging to go home with her. So Ava takes the kitten home and hides it from her parents until they are ready. She names him Itty Bitty. The problem is after a couple of weeks he is no longer itty or bitty. He is larger than a Great Dane. It is inevitable that Ava and Itty Bitty are discovered. The text rhymes in all the right places and is very sing songy, full of phrases like itty bitty and hurry scurry. The text is all the same size and font except for when Itty Bitty gets DISCOVERED! The illustrations are done digitally with photoshop and a special monitor. They are big, bold and bright, full of purples, blues and greens. The end papers, front and back are purple to emphasize the largeness of Itty Bitty. There is also a lot of detail in the illustrations. Ava's room is pictured with at least four drawings of cats, showing her parents how much she loves cats. And when Ava and Itty Bitty are discovered and have to face her parents you see the two cowering in a corner with the shadows of her parents on them. It is wonderful. My only qualm with the illustrations is towards the end. The baby is in danger of falling down the stairs and Itty Bitty ends up saving her. But the illustration depicting this seems to just show the cat scared and shocked by the mere sight of the baby and not that it is in any danger. It was a bit confusing. The binding is sewn in, but the book itself does not feel terribly sturdy. Hopefully it can stay on the shelf for awhile before it needs repairs. This would work well as a read aloud in large group setting or one on one with preschoolers, kindergartners or any child that loves cats or is begging their parents for a pet.

Overall Book Score: very good