If You See a Kitten - Hardcover

John Butler has written more than a dozen books for children and illustrated over sixty. His books have been published in more than twenty countries and won awards such as the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book Award, IRA Teachers’ Choice Awards, and Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year. He has had a long career in illustration, working for a very wide range of clients including Time magazine, “Sesame Street,” and the Sunday Times. He lives in England.

John Butler has written more than a dozen books for children and illustrated over sixty. His books have been published in more than twenty countries and won awards such as the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book Award, IRA Teachers’ Choice Awards, and Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year. He has had a long career in illustration, working for a very wide range of clients including Time magazine, “Sesame Street,” and the Sunday Times. He lives in England.

PreS. "If you see a cuddly kitten . . . Say, 'Ahhh!'" This simple concept book encourages very young children to give a one-word response to an animal on each page. Each double-page spread features a beautiful, realistic painting of the animal, as well as a peek (part of a feather, a tail, and so on) of the animal on the next page. Some of the reactions seem arbitrary and stereotyped. Why, for example, should the brightly colored snake elicit a "Yikes" or the friendly piglet a "Peee-ew?" (On close examination, the pig does appear to have been rolling around in something.) Nonetheless, Butler's simple text offers appealing repetition and suspenseful rhythm in the pause before each page is turned, and the large, soft-edged illustrations beg for repeated viewings. A good choice for storytime or for sharing one-on-one with a preschooler. Todd Morning
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