The Siamese Kittens and the Breadcrumbs

The Siamese Kittens #1

by Michael A.G. Haykin, Chris Iliff (Illustrator)

“In no time at all, the kittens began sniffing around and jumping all over the Quinns. Despite the drive, the kittens began to feel that they would enjoy their new home after all.” It is a windy day when Mr. Quinn brings the three siamese kittens – Siam, Ko-ko and Java – to his country house on the outskirts of Dublin. There, the kittens meet Chai, a wise cat who has lived with the Quinns for years. Chai takes the kittens under his wing and teaches them the importance of trust, even when things do not seem to be going to plan.

48 pages, Paperback

Published November 7, 2023

About the author

Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is the Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality and Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He is also the editor of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. His present areas of research include 18th-century British Baptist life and thought, as well as Patristic Trinitarianism and Baptist piety.

Haykin is a prolific writer having authored numerous books, over 250 articles and over 150 book reviews. He is also an accomplished editor with numerous editorial credits.

Reviews

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siam, Ko-ko, and Java are three new Siamese kittens in a home in Ireland. An older Siamese cat named Chai shows the kittens the ways of the house, and gets them addicted to the toast crumbs that appear every morning after the humans have breakfast. But what happens when one morning the breadcrumbs are nowhere to be seen?

This was a very quick read. There’s a little tiny Christian spiritual connection at the very end about God providing, but it is extremely subtle and felt just kind of tacked on at the end. The kittens are cute. There was a confusing comment to me at the beginning that the cats were named Siam, Ko-ko, and Java because they were a breed that came from Thailand. Ok, Siam makes sense…but Ko-ko has nothing to do with Thailand, and Java is in Indonesia…I don’t get it. Most people won’t care, but we’re putting this on our library shelves in an international school in Thailand and our students will have comments about it. The overall story is short, sweet, and cute. Hand this to cat lovers just jumping into the chapter book world and not afraid of some bigger vocabulary words.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: It is mentioned the cat’s breed comes from Thailand, the home is in Ireland.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: None

[Allie Fullerton (thelightfilledreader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and delightful little story for young readers! It is well written, features a wonderful biblical theme that is naturally woven into the story, and has beautiful illustrations. I highly recommend!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in UK English. Ages 5-8.

[Anna Rushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precious beginner chapter book. Subtle biblical theme. Kids 4-8 would love!