Our New Kittens

Theo Heras’ Our New Kittens is a story about two brothers patiently waiting to bring two kittens home. Not only do the brothers learn about taking care of pets, but the kittens also have to adapt to living with the brothers. Heras depicts a very realistic story about raising pets, including the cuddly times of holding them while they sleep, the messy times of cleaning the litter box, as well as the responsible times of feeding them. The two siblings complement each other as the older accountable brother models how to treat kittens and how to take care of them while the younger brother is more naïve, carefree, and just plain excited to have kittens! The contrast of the brothers’ personalities is relatable to the audience because it provides different perspectives of what it means to have a pet. In addition to the story, there are checklists of things you need to do before you have a pet kitten and a list of necessary daily tasks to take care of your cat.

Alice Carter’s illustrations are warmly created with colored pencil and watercolours as well as digital art. The characters and the setting are realistically represented with a slight cartoonish flair. Overall, the pictures allow the readers to infer more details in addition to the text, thereby extending the storytelling of how the relationship between the brothers and their new pet kittens develops.

Reading Our New Kittens would be a good way to inform young children of the emotional and behavioural aspects, plus accountability, of what pet ownership entails.