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Children's Fiction Farm Animals

Kitten's Spring

illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes

Publisher
Kids Can Press
Initial publish date
Feb 2010
Category
Farm Animals, General
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781554533404
    Publish Date
    Feb 2010
    List Price
    $14.95
  • Board book

    ISBN
    9781554531479
    Publish Date
    Mar 2012
    List Price
    $8.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781554538539
    Publish Date
    Aug 2012
    List Price
    $4.99

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 1 to 4
  • Grade: p
  • Reading age: 1 to 4

Description

It's a bright spring day in the farmyard and Kitten is meeting all sorts of animals and their young, including frogs and tadpoles, owls and owlets and many more. In this first book in the Kitten series, rhyming couplets capture the animals' sounds and actions, making it a fantastic interactive read-aloud. Young readers will enjoy mimicking animal sounds, picking out seasonal details in the exquisite mixed-media art and searching for and finding Kitten on every page.

The Kitten series follows a lovable feline around the farmyard over the course of one day as she encounters different animals. Each title in the four-book series is set in a different season.

About the author

Née en 1943, près de New York, EUGÉNIE FERNANDES puise son admiration pour les animaux et la nature dans les souvenirs de son enfance. Son inspiration, elle la doit en grande partie à son père, illustrateur de bandes dessinées, avec qui elle passait de longues heures dans son studio. En 1965, elle obtient son diplôme de l'école des Arts Visuels de New York et commence alors sa carrière en tant qu'illustratrice. Eugenie a écrit ou illustré plus de 80 livres dont Grosse journée, petite souris! et Caféolait s'en va-t-en ville. Elle vit aujourd'hui dans le sud de l'Ontario et travaille depuis sa maison dans son studio surplombant un lac et la forêt environnante.

 

 

EUGENIE FERNANDES loved exploring the outdoors and making her own little books when she was young. As an adult she has combined these interests by creating books such as Ribbon Rescue, The Tree that Grew to the Moon, Waves in the Bathtub, One More Pet, and Grandpa Dan's Toboggan Ride.

 

 

Eugenie is part of a very artistic family. Her father was a comic book illustrator, her husband, Henry Fernandes, is a picture book illustrator who collaborated with her on the book Ordinary Amos and the Amazing Fish, and her two children are also artists. Eugenie lives near Peterborough, Ontario, where she works in a studio that is surrounded by water and woods.

 

Eugenie Fernandes' profile page

Awards

  • Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens , Canadian Children's Book Centre
  • Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre

Editorial Reviews

... a clever and captivating picture book.—Winnipeg Free Press

... an interactive read sure to please the youngest farm fans.—Kirkus Reviews

The illustrations are filled with delightful images and the brief text will appeal to the very young.—School Library Journal

Librarian Reviews

Kitten’s Spring

Spring is an exciting season in the country... a time for renewal after a long winter. Kitten, our protagonist, is excited to explore the many sights and sounds on the farm where it lives. This feline remains in the background as it observes the maternal instincts of frogs, chickens, ducks, cows, pigs, sheep and owls, all encouraging their young in their own unique manner. It appears that Kitten is the only animal without a mother. No matter! Each day is full of adventure and happy encounters.

Eugenie Fernandes’s text is only 40 words in length, but despite its brevity, she creates a pastoral picture: “Cow moos, Calf winks. / Pig oinks, Piglet drinks. / Sheep baaaaaas, Lamb wobbles. /Owl screeches, Owlet gobbles.” This gentle and lilting rhyme is perfect for young readers to chant or listen to.

Though words may be few, Fernandes’s charming clay, acrylic paint and mixed media collage illustrations will fascinate young readers with their detail. Animals, insects, reptiles and birds, as well as their milieu, are creatively rendered. There is so much to see! Who can resist the mud-caked piglet, the ravenous owlet or, in fact, any of the other creatures depicted? One can practically feel the varieties of textures in each illustration.

This book concludes with an exhausted Kitten, lying asleep and dreaming. Kitten’s Spring will delight young children, no matter what the season or time of day. Their dreams will, hopefully, be as lovely as Kitten’s are!

Source: The Canadian Children's Bookcentre. Spring 2010. Vol.33 No.2.

Kitten’s Spring (Kitten)

Join Kitten as she wanders around the farmyard over the course of a day. She encounters many animals, such as frogs, chickens, sheep and owls, and their offspring. The rhyming verse and lifelike illustrations will enthrall young children. Originally published in hardcover in 2010 by Kids Can Press.

Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. Spring, 2012.

Kitten’s Spring (Kitten)

Kitten explores the farm, meeting a piglet, a calf, a lamb and many baby birds. This beautifully illustrated picture book introduces toddlers to animals and the sounds they make. The simple rhyming text makes it a wonderful choice to read aloud. Book One in the series.

Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. 2011.

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