Mama Cat Has Three Kittens

by Denise Fleming

"Mama Cat has three kittens, Fluffy, Skinny, and Boris. Whatever Mama Cat does, Fluffy and Skinny are right behind, climbing the wall, digging in the sand, chasing leaves. All Boris seems to do is nap. Will he ever wake up and join the fun?"

Using her own cats as models, Denise Fleming has captured the moods, expressions, and antics of a mother cat and her kittens. But there is a rebel in every crowd, and Boris is sure to charm readers who will recognize themselves in his contrary ways.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Family

20 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1998

About the author

Denise Fleming has written and illustrated many children’s picture books, including In the Tall, Tall Grass, Shout! Shout It Out!, and Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy. She won a Caldecott Honor for In the Small, Small Pond. Denise creates her colorful illustrations by pouring colored paper pulp through hand-cut stencils. She lives in Toledo, Ohio.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/denise...
http://www.simonandschuster.com/autho...

Reviews

[Caterina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars on the strength of the gorgeous illustrations. Artist Denise Fleming pours (I almost typed "purrs") colored cotton pulp through hand-cut stencils to create brilliant handmade-paper images that purrr-fectly capture the body-language and even facial expressions of cats and kittens (slightly humanized) and the details of the natural world. It's no surprise to learn that Fleming had her own family of mama cat and kittens to work from. On my quest for teaching resources, my community children's librarian recommended Fleming as one of the most popular authors for young children. This is a fun read-along with a bit of mystery and suspense -- children can repeat the refrain: "Boris naps!" and wonder whether the little future-big-orange-tabby will ever wake up and join in the fun with his brothers and sisters.

I think having one kitten who's a little different from the others, but perfectly fine, is a good theme. (And in my own Mama Cat's litter, one big grey tabby boy did nap all the time while the others were playing, so maybe it's a common thing -- but hopefully the children can apply the theme in the world of humans as well.)

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to two groups of preschoolers. You can start asking "And what does Boris do?" to get the kids interacting.

[Jacob Benne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mama Cat has Three Kittens is profound coming of age story. The depth of the three kitten characters, Fluffy, Skinny, and Boris greatly add to this tale of beautiful friendship among siblings. It also shows the importance of a humble Mother that loves her children regardless of the actions they take in their life. Boris’s lack of desire to do anything but nap can provide great insight into the responsibility we are called to take in our lives to not just be loved, but to love. Boris is the least likeable of the kittens has he has not quite come to that understanding yet in his life.

TL;DR Cute Artwork for the kittens. Boris likes to sleep!

[Libby Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable! My kids found this very relatable as we navigate caring for kittens at our house around the same age as the kittens in this story.

Highly recommend for kids 2-8.

[Ronan Crutchfield]

Very silly book. I couldn’t relate to the main cat Boris. He loves to nap all day long, and I never want to nap

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute kitty story, very much true to life.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mama Cat Has Three Kittens is on Harriet and my short list of favorite children's books. The book is a near perfect combination of repetition, adorable illustrations and humor. Best of all (from Harriet's perspective) it's about cats.

Mama cat, as the title explains, has three kittens: Fluffy, Skinny and Boris. While Mama cat is teaching Fluffy and Skinny how to do necessary cat things, Boris is off doing his own thing (napping). Until near the end, each pair of pages ends with "Boris naps." Harriet loves saying that line on each page, usually while giggling and falling over.

Denise Fleming like Eric Carle uses paper craft for her illustrations. She wrote and illustrated Mama Cat Has Three Kittens. I really like her style. The colors are bright and the cats are cute but still recognizably cats.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama Cat Has Three Kittens by Denise Fleming is a great read-aloud for preschoolers (one of my favorites). It focuses on two kittens, Fluffy & Skinny, who copy their mother's every move. During all these antics, Boris naps. When Mama Cat and the other kittens finally take a nap, Boris wakes up, stretches, yawns, washes his paws, ... and pounces on his family! Then, having woke them up, Boris naps!

This simple yet entertaining story has large fonts and features humor & repetition that toddlers and preschoolers will appreciate. The illustrations, created by pouring cotton pulp through hand cut stencils, are bright, colorful and inviting. The details, especially the bugs and mouse, are fun to search for on each page.

For toddlers, preschoolers and beginning readers, mice & cat themes, predictable, and fans of Denise Fleming.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great, simple, big font book for toddlers about a kitten named Boris who never does what the rest of his family is doing. When they are pouncing, he's napping. When they are scratching, he's napping. When they are walking on a wall, he's napping. But...when they are napping, he's pouncing right on mama and his siblings! Very sweet and good predictablity for the little ones.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two kittens imitate everything Mama cat does, but their brother just likes to nap. Nice predictive repetition that can easily be interactive.

[Red Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mama Cat Has Three Kittens is a gorgeous book that focuses on a Mama Cat and her three kittens: Fluffy, Skinny, and Boris. The text is simple and maintains the same sentence structure; whatever Mama Cat does, Fluffy and Skinny mirror while Boris naps. Just when Mama Cat, Fluffy, and Skinny settle down for a nap, Boris flips the script. Little ones will enjoy the easy, repetition of the words and the sweet twist ending. Denise Fleming employs a unique art technique of making different colored paper pulps and pouring them into stencils to make the illustrations. This makes every page full of soft outlines and saturated color.

I cannot give an unbiased review as this book holds a special place in my heart. My mom read this to me quite often and made me read it aloud to her, making it one of the first books I was able to read by myself. I have endless memories of reading with my mother and searching for the little mice and other details on the page. Twenty years later, I still have it memorized.

[Linda (bythebellbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable, rhythmic read that shows just how different siblings can be. Fluffy and Skinny are eager to follow Mama Cat everywhere, but Boris—oh, Boris!—has his own idea of fun, mostly involving a cozy nap. The repetition and simple text make this book a perfect pick for young children, and the vibrant, textured illustrations bring the kittens’ playful personalities to life.

How to Make the Most of This Book:
🐾 Movement Fun: As you read, encourage kids to act out the kittens’ actions. Can they pounce like Fluffy? Creep quietly like Skinny? Or curl up and pretend to nap like Boris? It’s a great way to keep little ones engaged while reading!
🎲 Count and Compare: Ask questions about the kittens. How many kittens are there? What do Fluffy and Skinny do differently from Boris? This sparks conversations about differences and individuality.
🎨Creative Art: After reading, invite kids to draw their own cats with different personalities. What would their dream cat do? Sleep all day like Boris, or be busy like Fluffy and Skinny?

[Mattison Bingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama cat has three kittens named Fluffy, Skinny, and Boris. Fluffy and Skinny also follow behind mama but Boris always naps. Well of course, until Mama and the others nap then he wants to wake up. The story line is great for young children because the book has such a repetitive and predictable pattern, making it easy to follow along. Overall, I wasn't impressed with the illustrations. The colors are dark are hard to make out. Because the story line is so fun, I was hoping for more animated characters. The cats are on the more realistic side but the story isn't. This made it difficult for me as a reader to stay engaged. On many of the pages, a small mouse hides in the background for readers to find. I LOVE the idea but because he is so dark along with everything else, it is difficult to find him.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Mama Cat has three kittens, Fluffy, Skinny, and Boris. When Mama Cat washes her paws, Fluffy and Skinny wash their paws. Boris naps. When Mama Cat walks the stone wall, Fluffy and Skinny walk the stone wall. Boris naps.

Premise/plot: Mama Cat has three kittens. Fluffy and Skinny copy their mother; they excel at their kitty education--their kitten academy. Boris, well, he's BORIS. He excels in one subject: NAPPING. Perhaps with a minor in STEALING THE SHOW.

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I like all the cats, but, Boris has the last say! I would definitely recommend this one for parents to share with their little ones. I think cat lovers of all ages can appreciate it.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

[Jennifer Endsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the fact that the book and illustrations are a lot bigger than some other children books because it makes it easier to see the pictures from a distance, so if you are reading the story to a class of children, everyone will be bale to see the pictures. I also like the fact that the text is really simple and repetitive. Because the text is repetitive, it will make it easier for the children to understand the story and to understand what happens next. I also like how the pictures match what the text is saying because if a kid can not read yet then they can follow along by looking at the pictures and they will have an idea of what the story is about. Overall, I think that this is a perfect beginning book to read to a group of young children.

[RC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama Cat has three kittens: Fluffy, Skinny, and Boris. Fluffy and Skinny do everything Mama Cat does, but Boris would really rather sleep. Until it's time for the rest of the family to take a nap...

The simple, repetitive text makes for great reading aloud to babies and toddlers, while slightly older audiences will be able to help you guess what happens next. A great choice for learning about predictive text!

The illustrations are bright and colorful, in Fleming's signature paper collage style. The cats are easy to see and identify, even from a distance, and each picture has a few other animals to find.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, found it humorous, and thought that my groups of parents and two-year-olds would enjoy it. However, it didn't keep the kids' interest, even when I tried to involve them in telling the story or acting out the motions. Possibly it was just the day (first big snow of the year), or possibly the pictures just were too dark and full for them to really want to look at. In any case, while I thought it was quite a nice book, it wasn't as well received as I had hoped.

[Evianrei · Rating 5 out of 5]

One I remember from my childhood. I loved the big painterly illustrations, and got a copy of this for my son earlier in the year. We've read it a couple times, and he enjoys looking at the large, colorful illustrations of the kittens. So glad I was able to grab a copy of this book, I only wish it came in board book format.

[Mayra Velazquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I would most likely use it for my kindergarten class. It teaches the reader fractures about cats like what they look like and what they do/eat. The book is also about Mama Cat and her kittens, which I thought was a cute little story for students to read. Also, the illustrations are very beautiful.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The brilliantly colorful, vibrant illustrations of Mama Cat and her kittens catting around the neighborhood are very engaging, though the story’s ending is a snoozer. To emphasize his uniqueness, couldn’t Boris play a little with some ants, birds, bees, or Mrs. Mouse and her brood before the final pounce?

[Karen Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denise Fleming is one of my favourite go to authors for story-time books. Simple plots with patterning in some, great read-alouds for toddlers with super colourful illustrations. She's simply the best!

[MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great picture book with repetition, predictability, but then a touch of fun/surprise at the end. This quick read would make a great 2nd book in storytime.

Storytime: Toddler or Family Storytime

Focus: Narrative Skills, Patterns, Background Knowledge.

[Michele A. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good read aloud book. The repetitive pattern allows for children to chime in at various points in the story. It will also give children an opportunity to predict what Boris (kitten) will do next. The illustrations are also bright and colorful.

[Elizabeth Moreau Nicolai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, fun, Denise Fleming is always reliable for baby and toddler storytimes.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read with my 4yo.

[Mely · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh that silly boris. very simple story, lots of repetition which helps toddlers "read" and predict where the story will go.

[Erica Flory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boris must be a teenager

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband thought this one was hilarious with the one kitten who always napped.

[Cyndee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable book, adorable pictures. Great for story time with the younger crowd!!
Be sure and get the parents to interact somehow with 'Boris naps'

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boris, the ornery kitten, never wants to nap like the other kittens ... until 😁😁