Cats and Kittens

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Baby cats, which are called kittens, do resemble their parents. The mother cat is the one who is the caregiver. Most of the text addresses what kittens eat, how they keep clean, the need to have shots from a vet, and the message that kittens love to play and scratch; so if you have one as a pet, a scratching post is pretty important. Kittens can be taught to use a litter box which makes life a lot easier than that for dog owners who need to walk their pets and pick up fecal matter after they have "done their business." The format of this book is a bit different than others in the series; but the illustrations will tug at the heartstrings of cat lovers and will probably have little ones begging for a kitten of their own. One nice point is that the cycle ends with a kitten growing up to be a full-size cat. This oversized board book which is part of "Animal Families Board Books" series, provides a succinct overview of the life cycle of a creature familiar to kids. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot