“This story is not about a kitten.” But of course it is. It’s also about community, cooperation, and cumulative storytelling. While a girl and her mother (both Black) are out walking, their dog spots a kitten hiding under a car, “hungry and dirty, scared and alone, meowing sadly, needing a home.” It marks the start of a rescue effort that also involves others in their neighborhood. Each individual and their contribution is introduced before the previous characters and actions are reiterated in a text patterned on “The House That Jack Built.” A break in the pattern heightens the drama as the kitten is finally lured into a box. “This story is not about the child who asked, ‘Could we?’ ... or the man who offered some milk, or the twins who brought a box, or the woman who held the dog ...” It’s not about a kitten “now full-bellied and clean, no longer alone, purring happily. Home.” Lively text and colorful gouache illustrations tell an irresistible story inspired by a real-life rescue of a kitten in the author’s Brooklyn neighborhood.     (Ages 3-8)

A heartwarming picture book about a neighborhood coming together to help a kitten find a home, from a New York Times bestselling author and a Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator.

Contrary to what you may believe, this story is not about a kitten, hungry and dirty, scared and alone, needing a home. It is also not about the dog who heard the kitten meowing sadly. Even less so about the woman and child walking the dog, who stopped when their dog heard the kitten. Nor is it about the friends who brought a box for the kitten, or the man who offered it some milk. No, this story is not about a kitten at all—well, maybe a little—but more importantly this is a story about community, compassion, and generosity.

Randall de Sève’s thoughtful and warm story is sure to fill readers of all ages with hope and the warm fuzzy feeling that rescuing animals brings. Wonderfully complemented by Carson Ellis’s breathtaking illustrations, this book is sure to be cherished by animal-loving readers everywhere!