Catkin was a tiny kitten - the smallest of his litter - born to the cat of a Wise Woman. Given to the farming couple who lived down the hill, he became the boon companion of their baby daughter, and was charged with keeping her safe. When a moment of inattention left her vulnerable, and she was taken by the Lord and Lady of the Little People who lived under the hill, he set out to right the wrong, and to free baby Carrie. This was more challenging than it seemed, and Catkin needed all of his wits, as well as the aid of the Wise Woman, to find a solution...

The third fairy-tale picture-book I have read from British author Antonia Barber, after her marvelous The Mousehole Cat and The Enchanter's Daughter, Catkin may be my favorite of the lot! It is an outstandingly beautiful book, one which pairs an enchanting tale full of magic and adventure from Barber with breathtakingly gorgeous watercolor illustrations from Irish artist P.J. Lynch. This is a book to treasure, and to read over and over again - I will need to obtain a copy of my own! It's rare for me to give five star ratings, but this was a practically perfect picture-book, with every element - the story, the writing itself, the artwork, the design - outstanding in its own right, and yet also working seamlessly together to create a wonderful whole. Highly, highly recommended to all fairy-tale lovers! ( )

Absolutely utterly enchanting. Mystical, magical, beautiful and poignant. I do like Candlewick Publishing's choices. Do note that this is not for toddlers; it's rather long and complex. I think the artist must have worked from life - the characters are so real. ( )

Catkin came today and since it is so short I read it immediately. The watercolors by P.J Lynch compliment Antonia Barber's story. Catkin tells the story of a brave runt of a litter who finds a loving home with a farmer, his wife and their daughter. When the daughter is kidnapped by the fair folk of the hill the little cat proves himself by bravely and cunningly rescuing the little girl, Carrie.

I'm delighted that I'm the last on the list. This will give me time to slowly introduce this book into my son's regular set of books. He's still a little young to sit through this long of a book but I know that in a few months when he's older, he'll love this book. He loves cats and books and especially books about cats! ( )

I'm no expert on children's picture books, but this one just didn't work for me. Or for my grandson, who as a bona fide child and book-lover is by definition an expert, at least in what he likes and doesn't like. We both love stories involving cats, and we both loved Antonia Barber's The Mousehole Cat, so we expected something of equal stature. What a disappointment. It lacks the charm, the magic of Mousehole Cat. The concept of the story is more sophisticated, which is okay up to a point, but the plot turns on the cat's ability to solve 3 riddles which are simply incomprehensible to most kids. For example, the first riddle is: "So be it, though I am not high, my magic branches sweep the sky." The answer is "Willow." Did you get it? Me neither. The cat explains the reasoning that leads to the correct answer, but even after reading it and deconstructing it, my grandson still couldn't comprehend the rather sketchy logic.

The illustrations are of uneven quality. Many are wonderful but a few have oddly photo-realistic human faces attached to otherwise fanciful backgrounds, which is jarring in a story that is trying to establish a magical setting.

Another oddity is the resolution of the story: a "wise" woman decrees that a mother should part with her child every winter so as to keep the baby-stealers happy. Sort of like the biblical Solomon proposing to cut the baby in half. But in this case, Solomon's solution is accepted. Creepy. ( )

Fairy tale about a cat who saves a baby kidnapped by a tiny king and queen, who want them both as playthings, by answering three riddles. The third riddle's answer is his own name, "cat" and "kin," which is the condition by which the tiny kingdom can trap him. The king and queen turn out to be all right and release both. Richly illustrated and convincingly "traditional" in tone. ( )