Grover's New Kitten was one of my board books back in the 80s, so don't expect to find it in the library, but it is a fun trip down memory lane.
Baby reviewer says: I love the kitty cat. This book has a kitty cat. I want to hug the kitty. This book also has Gwover. Gwover has hands. Gwover has nose. Gwover has kitty cat.
Mom says: What a blast to the muppets of the late seventies and early 80s!
Grover's New Kitten, published in 1981, features actual pictures of actual muppets (Grover and his mom), rather than cartoon drawings. And like Oscar the Grouch and Times Square, 80s Grover was grody. Just look at him! The puppet's fur is visibly matted and his mouth is either worn or dirty.
And yet the muppets are really delightful. I love that they actually went down to the ASPCA to photograph Grover picking out a kitten. I love that Grover's mom is really just another Grover in a dress and wig. I love trying to figure out how the puppeteers posed the muppets for the pictures. And of course I love the kitten.
This is a good book for teaching young children the basics of how to care for a pet. Near the end of the story there's a picture of the kitten looking quite frightened, which also provides an opportunity to talk to older toddlers who are learning empathy about how to tell if a pet is scared or upset, and what to do about it. In the story, Grover makes the kitten feel better by letting her sleep on his bed. I do wonder how the kitten felt about being in this photoshoot with a puppet, but thankfully the book ends with the kitten peacefully sleeping with Grover, so I think the she must have warmed up to him.
To be clear, I am not recommending that anyone actually seek out and buy a 44 year old board book. There are thousands of free board books at the library that are just as good. This is just a nostalgia post dedicated to a book I loved as a toddler, before Eternal Elmo.
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