Marley and the Kittens: A Funny Picture Book for Kids (Ages 4-8) about Dogs, Cats, and Finding Your Place

Marley Picture Books

by John Grogan, Richard Cowdrey (Illustrator)

When a pair of adorable kittens joins the family, Marley is so excited to have two new friends to play with that he follows the felines everywhere. But Marley is no graceful kitten. By imitating their gentle behavior, he unintentionally makes a mess all over the house and gets into big trouble for it. What did I do this time? he wonders. Marley is afraid he may have lost his number-one status in the household . . . until an unlikely pair reminds him and his family that no one's purrrrr-fect ! In a story that hilariously reveals the differences between cats and dogs, everyone's favorite misbehaving pup learns from some new friends just how special he really is.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Dogs, Cats, Family, Friendship

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 27, 2010

About the author

John Grogan has spent more than 25 years as a newspaper journalist. Previously he worked as a reporter, bureau chief, and columnist at newspaper in Michigan and Florida. He is also the former editor on chief of Rodale's Organic Gardening magazine. His work has won numerous awards, including the National Press Club's Consumer Journalism Award. His first book, Marley & Me, is a number one international bestseller that was as a major motion picture on 2008. His second book is The Longest Trip Home. John lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, Jenny, and their three children.

Reviews

[Shawn Deal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marley discoveries some kittens on a hike and his human family brings them home. Marley just wants to be with them and do what they do and be their friends. What is so wrong with that? Well, when you are a big dog and thief just little kittens it is troublesome to try and do the exact same things.

[Piyali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marley is a favorite of mine and this was, as usual, a cute anecdote of Marley and two adorable kittens.

[Margaret Welwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marley discovers two abandoned kittens and his family rescues them. What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty, as our lumbering hero tries hard to be just as cute as the kittens. The kindergartners enjoy the kittens' cuteness and Marley's clumsiness--until he shatters the tiny cat door. Poor Marley is sentenced to time out in the laundry room, the scene of his latest crime.

And here's the part the children love the most: as Marley sits with his face to the wall, beginning to regret rescuing the tiny cuties--they join him! One very large animal and two balls of fluff face the wall until the family discovers them.

Forgiveness, restoration and a forever friendship complete this sweet, funny tale.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's cute kittens, I love the kittens and Marley. Marley and the kittens is a great book! I love that book!

[Abigail Breaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marley is a curious pup. On a car ride with his owners, he spots kittens on the side of the road and makes it very clear to the humans that they must stop! When they let Marley out of the car, he sniffed his way to the little kittens and his owners were surprised to see what he had found! The kittens were doing new things around the house and Marley clearly did not want to miss out on anything. As the kittens played gently with the blinds, Marley nearly ripped them down. Marley was jealous of the attention the kittens were receiving and he just wanted to join in on the fun too! The kittens grew to love Marley and they followed his every move. By the end of the story, Marley realizes he is still #1 to his owners and he's got two new best friends too. I loved this story. I thought it was light hearted and fun. I loved the colorful illustrations and how they showed the mess Marley got into throughout the story. I think this story would make the little ones laugh.

[LadyHague · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this one gets three stars because it just wasn’t quite “there”. Cute story with dog and kittens. Definitely realistic as the dog tries to “be cute” just like the kittens do. Of course this ends in destruction and hurt feelings. Maybe it’s too raw for me since I have puppies and kittens and the dog messes are REAL!!!
The artwork was too bold for my taste, but well done with color and detail. Minus a star for the art being as crass as the dogs behavior.

The ending is sweet and pulls this book back up to three stars for me.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the way home from a family picnic, Marley spots two abandoned kittens in a field. They join the family, and Marley tries to be as cute as the kittens, but he's too big, and too clumsy. Marley has second thoughts about the kittens when he's put in time out, but something happens that changes his mind.

[Haley Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copyright: 2010
Genre: Fantasy
Theme: animals, getting into trouble, new friends, family
This book was so cute! I loved all of the illustrations and how Marley the dog was always getting into trouble while it seemed like the kittens never got caught. This book would be a fun read aloud for younger students!

[Heather McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marley and his family get two editions when they find stray kittens out in the middle of the weeds. Marley wants to be a good brother and show his new friends the ropes at home, but his size and excitement often gets in the way.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Marley found two little kittens, the family brought them home. Marley was very excited and tried so hard to be like them, but the way he did everything ended up as a mess. All he wanted was to be graceful, cute, and popular like the kittens. Adorable story and illustrations.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophie loves this one cause it has a puppy and kittens in it.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this was a good book. My 3 kids and I enjoyed this book. This book is also an AR book of anyone needs to know. I would recommend this book to others.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cute installment in the series.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt so sorry for poor Marley. He is so excited to meet the new kittens, but he doesn't realise how big he is compared to them!

[Jayda Safford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kittens are so cute! Marley the dog looks like Gramma's dog Rudy. This was a funny book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute art and my 5 year old daughter really enjoyed the story.

[Easton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Sons FAVORITE book. He laughs hysterically every time we read this book, and names everything " yow yow" even months after

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute cat and dog story in which Marley, the dog, tries to do everything the little kittens do. However, being so much bigger than the kittens, his attempts cause destruction and look...not so cute. Still, you've got to admire his enthusiasm and friendliness. I have to wonder, however at the page where the kittens are on the counter, prowling amongst the crockery and glass jars, and in the text Daddy marvels, "Look how graceful they are." His kittens must be on ritalin or something, because my kittens are anything but graceful. If they were on the same counter, they'd be wrestling with each other and chasing each other and surely knocking at least one breakable off onto the floor. I had to laugh at the picture of Marley "using" the litter box. Well, at least he was standing in the box, if not going in it! I also have to wonder whether Marley was actually strong enough to tear the entire cat flap out of the door. I wonder if this is based on a true incident? Very cute!

[Sarah W · Rating 2 out of 5]

The pictures inside Marley & The Kittens are adroable. I do doubt how that family knew so quickly that the kittens had no mom when they found them beside the road. When the family takes the kittens home, Marley is soon imitating what the kittens do that gets them attention. Where the kittens get adoration, Marley gets scolded for making messes and breaking containers. When he is sent out on time out, the kittens join him.

This could be a good book for kids who are getting a new sibling, as they will face the same themes of attention that Marley does. Overall, for this kind of a story, I prefer A Rose for Pinkerton.

[Ariel Smith]

This book is more of a for enjoyment book. So you could keep it in the library in your class. It's mainly about not being a show-off to get attention. And what happens when you get in trouble and your friends come to show that they still care! Super cute. This would be a good book when a student is showing off to his/her classmates a lot. Maybe read it to the entire class and explain at the end why its not the best idea to be a show off. It would be best for grades k-2 because the language isn't very complex, but it had some words that may be tricky for a kindergartener.

[Amanda Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Picture book/realistic fiction
Copyright: 2010

I really enjoyed this book because it had some connections to the book I used for my book celebration, Help Me, MR. MUTT! I also think that sometimes the story line of the dog getting kicked to the curb when something new comes into play is very realistic. My dogs had cat envy and this story could have very well been a true story. My, myself, I'm partial to canines :) I love Marley.

[Rhaynes5]

Marley and the Kittens is a cute, adorable book that both the kids and I can connect too. I can connect to this book because I always had family pets growing up and they all envied each other especially the puppies. I think the children will be able to easily connect with this book as well, because they too may have pets. Also some of the students may have a new brother or sister come home and may want to revert to acting like a baby and can identify with how Marley feels about the new kittens.

[Debra Wake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audience - Ages 3-8, dog lovers, fans of the movie

Appeal - John Grogan wrote this story about his own dog, Marley. There are a whole series of Marley books including one written for adults. The story of Marley was also made into a movie.This could be used in a lesson comparing and contrasting Marley and the kittens.

Award List - 2012-2013 Iowa Goldfinch List

[Dani Kappel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marley, a dog, finds two abandoned kittens. His family takes them in but then Marley tries to do everything the kittens do and ends up wrecking the house as a result. He begins to grow jealous of the kittens but discovers that they love him and appreciates himself for who he is at the end. This book is good for narrative skills, and vocabulary skills. It would be good for ages 3-6.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book! I could see myself making a book read-through out of this, but it is also kind of long so I would probably have to pick out my favorite pages and then discuss them. I also like this book because I am a huge dog-lover. This could work with the students who are dog-lovers, but probably not the students who are more cat-lovers.

[Tevilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute kids book. I attended a reading with John Grogan at the Blue Willow Bookstore in Houston. He is charming and kind. I am glad I was able to meet him and hear more about Marley. It is also very interesting to listen to the messages he wanted to come through in the book--acceptance is one.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was really cute and the pictures were incredible. This is a book from a series and I think that can be great for kids. If they love one of the books, providing other books from the same series or books that are very similar can encourage them to want to read more.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collin loves certain words that the baby says about Marley, the dog, who just wants some attention like the new baby kittnes are getting. Fun little story, but the word play is what is a highlight for Collin.

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marley's super nose finds two abandoned baby kittens out in a field. These adorable little kittens quickly win a place in the hearts of his human family. Will his family still have room there to love Marley though?

[❤Marie Gentilcore · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6-year old daughter loves the Marley books and she loves kittens so this was a perfect match for her. The story was cute and the illustrations were very animated. We've already read it half a dozen times.