K Is for Kitten

Rosie is just a scrawny alley kitten, but she's braver than she looks-and that's a good thing, because when a little girl brings her home, Rosie will meet the family dog, confront wild animals, be fooled by her reflection and find herself out on a limb. It will take some time for Rosie to get used to her new surroundings, but she eagerly laps it up, and her new family can't help loving her.

In this charming alphabet book, Niki Clark Leopold and Susan Jeffers join forces to introduce us to a most endearing kitten on her journey of discovery.

A rhyming alphabet book which follows a kitten named Rosie from the alley in which she is found to the "ZZzzs" she enjoys with the family that gives her a home.

Rosie is just a scrawny alley kitten, but she's braver than she looks-and that's a good thing, because when a little girl brings her home, Rosie will meet the family dog, confront wild animals, be fooled by her reflection and find herself out on a limb. It will take some time for Rosie to get used to her new surroundings, but she eagerly laps it up, and her new family can't help loving her.

In this charming alphabet book, Niki Clark Leopold and Susan Jeffers join forces to introduce us to a most endearing kitten on her journey of discovery.

Publishers Weekly

A day in the life of an irresistible lost and found kitten unfolds through the letters of the alphabet in Leopold's (Once I Was...) sophomore effort. "A is for Alley/ Where a kitten meowed./ Finally I found her,/ Tiny and loud." Jeffers's (the McDuff books) opening spread details the meeting: a framed panel depicts the curious girl, her mother and their dog leaning between two buildings; a close-up, opposite, reveals the green-eyed tabby surrounded by two pairs of feet (and paws). Enlarged, boldface letters kick off each couplet, which, combined with the illustrations, often convey a playful humor. For instance, for the letter Q, the top panel ("Q is for Quarrel./ Here comes a real cat") depicts a full-grown white cat approaching the kitten, Rosie, while the lower panel (`This is my garden,'/ Says Rosie, `you scat!' ") reveals the true reason for the cat's exit off the right-hand side of the page-Rosie stands between the dog's legs. The cat's antics are so engaging that readers might overlook a few faulty rhymes (limb/again, lives/inside); meanwhile, Jeffers's spot-on illustrations will appeal to animal lovers. Ages 2-6. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Niki Clark Leopold, an author and poet, lives in Ruxton, Maryland.
Susan Jeffers is the illustrator of such distinguished picture books as Three Jovial Huntsmen, a Caldecott Honor book; Rachel Field's Hitty; and the ABBY Award-winning Brother Eagle, Sister Sky, which was also a New York Times besteller. She lives in New York.