Review: Kat Writes A Song by Greg Foley

KAT WRITES A SONG

by Greg Foley

Little Simon

May 1st, 2018

Picture Book

ages 3 and up

Kat the kind-hearted kitten has a great big song to share in this adorable new picture book from author and illustrator Greg Foley.

It was a gray and rainy day. Kat was stuck indoors.
She was sad because she had no one to play with. 
“I’ll write a song! That will make me feel better,” Kat said.

Kat writes a song to make things better on a gray and rainy day. After perfecting her magic song, she sings it out loud, and to her surprise, the rainy clouds go away! Kat is so pleased that she goes around her neighborhood singing her magic song. Will her song be able to help her friends too?

A great read-aloud for parents and little ones to share, this sweet story proves that music has the power to bring friends together and let the sun shine through.

MY TIDBITS

Packed full of cuteness, this is a tale about a very, warm-hearted kitty and her desire to help others.

Kat feels blue. To cheer herself up, she writes a song. The moment she sings it, the sun pokes through the clouds. She can't believe her cheerful song did that! So off she goes into the neighborhood and soon, her song seems to be helping with every problem she passes. Until it doesn't. Now, she realizes that maybe her song is magical and depression starts to settle in. Luckily, she has friends to help out.

This is a sweet book with a super sweet character. Kat's blues are something kids will easily understand and empathize with. Everyone feels sad sometimes, even when there's no reason to feel that way. And Kat's solution is fantastic, one readers can use themselves. Even when she heads out and helps others, it's hard not to be inspired by her. Readers will feel every step and easily be able to put themselves into her situation.

The illustrations are well down, not overly bright but kept warm and caring. The text is fitting for the intended age group and makes a great read-aloud. It's the kind of book to be read again and again and again.

There are a lot of great messages packed into these pages, and the musical scores at the beginning and end create a great opportunity to join in and have fun in more ways than just listening to the read. The only thing which hit my kids as odd was when the animals started singing—most follow Kat's 'meow', but the bird (although it talks) tweeted. For some reason, this bugged my kids. But they still found the story super cute and insisted on reading it again.

So, this one gets a big thumbs up!


And here he is. . .
Greg Foley grew up in Austin, Texas, and attended the Rhode Island School of Design. An award-winning author and illustrator, he now designs and creative-directs Visionaire, V Magazine, and VMAN and lives in Greenwich Village, New York. He is also the author and illustrator of Willoughby & the Lion, Willoughby & the Moon, and Kat Writes a Song.