Calico's Curious Kittens Book

Full-color illustrations

Mama Calico has her paws full with seven little mischief-makers. Follow Frisky and the other kittens as they wander up, down, on, off, over, through, and out of the house right into trouble! Lovely paintings will delight little ones as they learn prepositions and opposites.

Phyllis Limbacher Tildes has written and illustrated many books for Charlesbridge, including Baby Animals Black and White, an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winner. Phyllis lives in Savannah, Georgia.

Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz - Children's Literature

They should be napping, but the seven lively kittens of mama cat, Calico, are busy getting into mischief. In the kitchen, up the curtains, then outside they go, in and out of trouble. They meet a dog who turns out to be friendly; Mama has to rescue Cally from up in a tree. Then "they are finally ready for a nap." The very brief text is simple, set in large type for beginning readers, and offers practice in reinforcing concepts like: in and out, around, across, through. Finding and counting the kittens also involves the readers in the antics of the appealing kittens. Double-page spreads are used to give the playful felines space for exercising their curiosity. Naturalistic watercolors, emphasizing the magnetic charm of kittens, provide appropriate contextual information as well. Calico appears in three other books as well. 2003, Charlesbridge,