What We Are Reading: Adventure Kitty by James Hemingway

Being a homeschool mom to three little kiddos ages 4, 6 and 8, it can be a challenge to find books during story time that all three of the kids resonate with.

My oldest wants unicorns. My middlest wants anything Minecraft. And my little boy is all about cars and robots and superheroes. So yeah, story time can be a toughie, lol.

When I first started out on my homeschool journey, I relied solely on Sonlight (the curriculum we initially used) to recommend books. But after a series of WTF moments from books that were not age appropriate, excessively dull, politically driven propaganda and then (possibly the straw that broke the camels back), books that all talk about Santa not being real… to my kids AGES 4 TO 8?!??!… I decided to switch up my curriculum and take our storytime into my own hands.

The “I can do this on my own” attitude took me over during the height of Covid shutting down all the local libraries, so taking the kids to browse and pick stories wasn’t an option. So I’ve been digging deep into my own childhood reads, and trying to glean titles based on my kids interests.

The ONE topic that seems to universally appeal to my kiddos is… animals!! Which really should come as no surprise since we are an animal loving family. (I don’t think there is a single animal my kids don’t want to own at some point, with cats being number one in our hearts.)

So when I had a chance to check out this new book, Adventure Kitty by James Hemingway, I jumped on the opportunity to check it out! (Fun fact I learned from the author, did you know that six-toed cats are called Polydactyl cats, and that they’re also known as ‘Hemingway cats’?)

Anyhoo, this cute storybook is inspired by a Hemingway cat the author found on a golf course one day took home. When the kitty went out exploring in the woods behind their house and didn’t return for several hours one day, the author couldn’t stop thinking of what she had gotten up to, which led to the idea for this story: “Adventure Kitty”.

In “Adventure Kitty”, an adventure-seeking Hemingway cat goes out exploring in the woods. She encounters many creatures and tries to make friends with them, but she finds herself lost and in big trouble. Will she be able to find her way in the woods?

I LOVE the illustrations in this children’s book (illustrated by Folksn Fables).. it had my kids begging me not to turn the page just yet at the end of each paragraph. The story is sweet and entertaining in a lilting rhyme format that keeps kids engaged and amused. There is a decent amount of text to make for a solid bedtime story read, without being overly lengthy or repetitive. Overall, a solid read for the 8 year and younger set!

Cat dads and cat moms – or any cat lovers – will fall in love with this warm and adventurous story. If you’d like to pick up a copy, head to Amazon to buy by CLICKING HERE.