CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2005)
When Kitten sees her first full moon overhead, she's sure it's a bowl of milk in the sky. "And she wanted it." Her attempts to drink the milk all fail. Licking doesn't work (she only gets a firefly on her tongue), a leap from the porch yields a bumped nose and pinched tail, and although she runs and runs, the moon never seems to get any closer. "Poor Kitten!" When she climbs a tree to reach the elusive treat, she sees a second bowl of milk, even larger than the first. It is just the moon's reflection in the pond, and Kitten ends up wet and still hungry. She heads home in defeat to discover something waiting on her porch: a bowl of milk, of course. "Lucky Kitten!" Kitten's bold lines and shades of black, cream and grey are a departure from the familiar style of Madison author/illustrator Kevin Henkes's wildly popular mouse books such as Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and Wemberly Worried. This gentle picture book feels transported from an earlier era. Reminiscent of the writing of Margaret Wise Brown, its deceptively simple language and masterful pacing transcend time. Lucky Reader! CCBC categories: Picture Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers. 2004, Greenwillow / HarperCollins, 32 pages, $15.99 and $16.89. Ages 2-5.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 4))
In a surprisingly new guise, Henkes turns his hand for his 34th book to a retro look, with rough-hewn, black-and-white illustrations that pair perfectly with this deceptively simply story. When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it. The coarse but masterfully controlled line with heavy black outlines contains vigor and exuberance, creating a spontaneous feeling. A keen sense of design uses double spreads and panels to depict the action and Kitten's puzzlement. Some spreads are almost all white space with dark shadows outlining Kitten and the moon. The style is reminiscent of Clare Newberry (Marshmallow, April's Kittens) without soft, fuzzy shapes, but artful in its gracelessness and naïveté, just like a kitten. Simply charming. 2004, Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 40p, $15.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 3 to 5. Starred Review. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Daniel R. Beach (Library Media Connection, October 2004)
Unlike any other book Kevin Henkes has written, this one stands simply but strongly on a single character, Kitten-no Lily, Owen, Julius, or Chrysanthemum here. Bold brush strokes give form to simple b&w drawings, contrasting the darkness of night with the whiteness of Kitten, the moon, and the milk. Henkes tells of Kitten's quest for a bowl of milk to drink and coming up short each time. The ending harks back to Max in Where the Wild Things Are (Harper & Row, 1963) when he arrives home and finds supper waiting. Preschool students will enjoy Kitten's episodic journey as they chime in "Poor Kitten" each time she can't get her bowl of milk. Readers addicted to Henkes' mouse community will find it hard to give Kitten her deserved space. Recommended. 2004, Greenwillow Books, 32pp., $15.99 hc. Ages 3 to 7.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 2004 (Vol. 57, No. 7))
Kitten isn’t astronomically inclined: when she sees her first full moon, she’s positive that it’s a "little bowl of milk in the sky." Determined to reach the milk, she stretches out for it and licks, only to get a bug in her mouth; she jumps for it but only falls down; she chases it but it never comes closer; she sees it in the pond, but only gets soaked. Fortunately, when she returns, chastened, to her home, "there was a great big bowl of milk on the porch just waiting for her." There are gentle overtones of Thurber’s Many Moons in the lunar theme, and the tight focus and neatly expressive text give the simple and appealing kitty adventures their full due. The repetition ("Poor Kitten!") and the toddler-sized tension of Kitten’s unsuccessful efforts will further involve listeners. Henkes’ illustrations evince quite a departure in style here: gouache and colored pencil combine in a palette that seems at first nocturnal blush to be monochromatic, but on closer examination reveals some smoky, ruddy-toned browns softening the charcoal tints. Broad black lines give the drafting a stylized clarity, but there’s enough textured modeling to ensure that the result is emphatic rather than merely flat; framed sequences and creative page layout help keep the momentum flowing and the visual interest high even with the deceptive simplicity of line and palette. The result is a tender but robust little picture book that will be storytime catnip. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Greenwillow, 32p, $16.89 and $15.99. Ages 2-5 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2004)
The black-and-white forms in this sweet story about a kitten who thinks the full moon is a bowl of milk are larger and more solid-looking than Henkes's usual work. The kitten, whose white fur glows against the charcoal-gray sky, is sprightly and expressive as she fails repeatedly ("Poor Kitten!") to get at that milk. The rhymthic, action-oriented text is just right for small children. Category: Preschool. 2004, Greenwillow, 32pp, $15.99, $16.89. Ages 2 to 5. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Jennifer Janacek (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 17, No. 4))
In KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON, a little kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk in the sky. Her attempts to reach it all end in misfortune, as she is unable to reach the bowl in the sky. Finally, she climbs as high as she can in a tree overlooking a pond. She still cannot reach the bowl in the sky, but she looks down and sees a bigger bowl of milk in the pond below. The kitten discovers this is only the reflection of the moon and only ends up wet and more disappointed. The kitten sadly heads home, and to her surprise, there is a real bowl of milk on the porch waiting just for her. The illustrations in this book are black and white and have a comic book feel to them as they chronicle the misadventures of the poor kitten. Fiction. Grades PreK-1. 2004, Greenwillow Books, Unpaged., $16.89. Ages 3 to 7.