Mittens at School

PreS-Gr 2–In this adventure, Mittens is at school for show-and-tell. At first, the gray-and-white kitten remains safely in his crate, watching Nick paint at an easel and write at his desk. When the children go to gym, though, the restless feline escapes his carrying case and explores the room, walking across the piano keys and jumping onto the bookcase. A loud crash as the teacher and students return brings Mittens to everyone’s attention, at last (“Purr. Purr.”). Each page of this beginning reader has one or two simple sentences and a large, uncluttered illustration that enhances the quiet tone of this story. Hartung’s soft-focus watercolors will make children want to touch Mittens’s fur and hold him. Youngsters will enjoy this humorous tale.–Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN