School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Mittens spends most of the book looking for a safe, quiet place to hide in his new home. Frightened, the kitten cries, bringing Nick, his owner, to his rescue. The controlled vocabulary in this gentle, unassuming story is made up primarily of one-syllable words, and the sentence structure is very basic. The soft pastel illustrations are simple and uncluttered and enhance the quiet tone of the text. This title would be good for easy-reader collections and could be used in toddler storytimes.-Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Nick welcomes his pet kitten, helping him overcome fear of his new home in this My First I Can Read entry. Skittish Mittens "zooms" behind the noisy TV, into the spooky dark under the sofa and, finally, under Nick's bed. There, amid the clutter of toys and a wayward sock, he finds "a small place just for him." But the kitten, still frightened, meows until Nick finds him, reassuring the pet gently until the last page's "Purrrrrr." Schaefer's necessarily brief text is crisp and cogent, integrating dialogue in an accessible manner for new readers. Hartung's simple illustrations use tones of yellow, blue, brick red and grey. Nick has a mop of curly black hair, and both he and Mittens, a tabby with white feet and chest, feature mere dots and dashes for eyes and brows. Ample white space and oversized type complete the package: a sweet, sturdy addition to the growing array of very first readers. (Easy reader. 4-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-K. The beautiful physical immediacy of the new pet story will draw emergent readers to this small My First title in the I Can Read series. Simple words in big, clear type and the cozy pictures tell the story from the viewpoint of the small, furry kitten, Mittens, fearful in his new home, searching for a safe place just for him. Everything is new and big and scary. He looks for a place behind the television (too loud), and under the sofa (too dark). Finally, he hides under a bed, where Nick finds him and slowly coaxes him out to curl up in his arms. Preschoolers will appreciate the realism of the kitten's story, as they recognize from their own experience how it feels to be a small creature in a giant world. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2006 Booklist
