Friday, June 30, 2017

Dr. KittyCat: Willow the Duckling by Jane Clarke

Just checking back in with the Dr. KittyCat series. Little hats? Check. Still adorable? Double check.

Dr. KittyCat and her nurse, Peanut the mouse, are getting ready to vaccinate all the animals in Thistledown against fur and feather flu. It's really important because the big talent show is coming up and all the animals are participating! When Willow the Duckling starts showing symptoms of being sick, Dr. KittyCat and Peanut are worried - did they miss vaccinating someone? Will she give fur and feather flu to all the other animals? Luckily, it turns out that Willow is having a panic attack. With some helpful advice from Dr. KittyCat, she calms down and with the help of her friends learns some techniques to overcome her anxiety and go on to do her web foot waltz. After a busy day, Dr. KittyCat and Peanut do some deep breathing exercises of their own and get some rest so they can help more animals tomorrow!

Collaged illustrations with a blue theme show an adorable duckling, fluffy Dr. KittyCat, and sweet Peanut the mouse. And, of course, all the animals have their signature headgear, from Posy the puppy's bow to the guinea pigs little flowered hat. I don't think I've ever seen vaccinations and meditation together in a children's book, but it really works. It's sweet and gently informative at the same time.

Verdict: These are tremendously popular at my library; kids don't find them twee, as was my initial fear, and while they won't appeal to everyone universally, they're just right for beginning chapter readings who like cute stories about animals. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780545873468; This edition published 2016 by Scholastic; Purchased for the library

2 comments:

Jen Robinson said...

My 7 year old LOVES these books. Karen Yingling sent us the first one a year ago, and my daughter was only ready for it recently. Now she's up to book 4 or 5 :-).

Jennifer said...

LITTLE HATS THEY KILL ME!!!