Review - The Kitten, The Cat & The Apple

The Kitten, The Cat & The Apple
by Nicholas Tana
illustrated by Matthew Molleur
Date: 2019
Publisher: New Classics Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 36
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A “puuurfect” read-a-loud book for adults and children (ages 1-5) who like picture books and cats. For adults who like stories about parents and children; especially, adults who like subtle philosophical messages in their children's stories. Great for cat-loving families or a child that has just experienced getting their first cat or kitten. Useful to child therapists who may want to use the book to teach about feeling comfortable with anxiety and boredom. See: https://www.readbrightly.com/cat-books-for-kids/ and https://sammyapproves.com/kids-cat-books/

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The synopsis promises a lot more than it delivers. I can't see any adult (other than the craziest of cat people) liking this book. It's just a boring story about--appropriately enough--boredom. The kitten is bored. The cat suggests different things for it to do. But the kitten won't nap because it's not tired. And it won't eat because it's not hungry. The cat engages it in a game of apple-swiping, after which the kitten eats the apple and goes to sleep. Zzzz...

Sure, the kitten can represent a young child and their refrain of, "I'm bored!" But is that really what parents want to read about? Picture books can have good stories and still appeal to a wide range of ages. They don't always need "subtle philosophical messages", either (although, I will admit that I'm struggling to figure out what that is in this case).

The illustrations don't really excite me. They're simple paper collages highlighted with a black pen. The colour palette is fairly limited, and there's not much to look at other than the cats, the apple, and the apple's resident worm.

I don't think books about boredom are supposed to bore the reader. Doesn't that kind of undermine the message? The cat says it never gets bored "because, there's always new things to do... and new ways to do it." It may be right. Unfortunately, that means putting down this book and finding something more interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and New Classics Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 1/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 1.5 out of 5