Kitten's Spring

Title: Kitten’s Spring

Author: Eugenie Fernandes

Poetry #1

Kitten’s Spring by Eugenie Fernandes is a cute book to say the least. Written in couplets, the story details a spring morning Kitten experiences on the farm. There are several reasons I enjoyed this text. First, I felt like it was written very well and can teach small children about mom and baby animals. For example, “Sheep baaaaaas, lamb wobbles” could allow for an expanded discussion about why sometimes baby animals have weak legs or a difficult time walking after being born. The story can also teach children about what kind of animals to expect to see during the spring. The text would be perfect to use during a unit about seasons or about animals or about poetry. I can see many educational uses/connections which makes it all the better for the classroom. Students can also explore the concept of rhyme and rhyming words while reading the text.

Additionally, even though some of the words may be challenging, there are very few of them which would make it an appropriate read even for lower readers.  I would want to include this text in a K-1 classroom library. Another thing I liked about this book was the illustrations. They are bright, colorful, and eye-catching. I can see any younger student being fascinated by them. They appear to be done in a collage fashion. While some aspects of the illustrations look painted, others appear to have so much texture and depth to them that they are actual objects. That being said, they add to the story greatly and could give the struggling reader a pretty good idea of what is happening in the story. Even so, they are an excellent supplement to the text and truly make the book unique.