A very quiet and endearing story, about a little girl whose mother takes in a stray kitten. The kitten is thin, frightened and unwell. They clean it up and feed it, then leave it to its own devices for a while (it hides) while they make things ready- a bed, a litter box, a collar from ribbon. Then the mother goes out to buy cat food and tells the girl “take care of the kitten” (grandmother is napping in the next room). The girl feels proud of her responsibility. She goes to check on the kitten, but now can’t find it anywhere! She looks under and behind things, no luck. Then she gets worried. She remembers how frightened she once felt on getting separated from her mother in a store, and wonders if the kitten felt the same way, loosing its mother. Even more anxious now to find the kitten, she looks outside, but feels cold and runs back in to get her coat. Now she finds the kitten, and is so relieved that when her mother comes home a moment later, she bursts into tears. The kitten is alright- it was just sleeping in a cozy spot! The last page shows it looking much plumper with a smooth coat, relaxed, and the little girl remarking again how much it sleeps all the time!
And that’s it. A simple little book about a girl caring for this kitten in need, empathizing with it, taking responsibility, and watching it get better, safe in their home. The illustrations by Komako Sakai I found very appealing. They have a roughness, like drawn with charcoal that smudges on the paper, but very fine and delicate lines too. The way the little girl and the small kitten were drawn, very nicely done. Perfect lines, gestures, proportions. I ought to find more books by this duo, if they’re any.
Borrowed from the public library.
