Out-of-Print Books I Love: One Kitten for Kim

One Kitten for Kim, written by Adelaide Holl and illustrated by Don Madden, was published in 1969. It was one of my favorite books as a kid.

Like many of my favorite childhood things, my copy was stolen from my big brother.

Proof that the book was originally a gift for my brother on his sixth birthday.

Evidence of my shameless thievery a few years later.

The book is about a little boy named Kim whose cat has seven kittens. He wants to keep them all, but his parents say no. They tell him he can keep the mama cat and one kitten, but he has to find homes for the rest of them.

I love the way the kittens are drawn. Their big eyes are so cute.

Kim chooses a kitten for himself, puts the other six in a wagon, and starts asking friends and neighbors if they want one. Each person he talks to takes a kitten for a different reason (to cure their loneliness, to chase mice, as a birthday gift for their daughter…) but in return, they ask Kim to take an animal they need to give away (a noisy parrot, a goldfish, a lizard…) and he does.

Mr. Wiggins, the grocer, takes two kittens to chase mice, but gives Kim a puppy.

The book ends with Kim returning home, proud of himself for finding owners for all six kittens… and pulling a wagon full of other animals behind him.

Kim is bringing home a parrot, a puppy, a rooster, a lizard, and two goldfish, but no kittens!

When I read One Kitten for Kim to my husband this week, he was not at all surprised that this story resonated with me so much as a kid and is still a favorite today. He sympathizes with the parents in the book.

This picture book is out of print, but reasonably-priced used copies can be found at abebooks.com.

Published by Carie Juettner

Carie Juettner is a former middle school teacher and the author of five books in the Spooky America series, including The Ghostly Tales of Dallas and the The Ghostly Tales of New England. Her poems and short stories have appeared in publications such as The Twin Bill, Nature Futures, and Daily Science Fiction. Carie lives in Richardson, Texas, with her husband and pets. She spends her time reading, writing, and volunteering for an organization that rehabs injured and orphaned wildlife. View more posts

2 thoughts on “Out-of-Print Books I Love: One Kitten for Kim”

Delightful book. I love the old illustrations and colors. (I can’t believe you stole it from your brother. What some people won’t do to add to their libraries.)

My Siamese cat gave us two surprises: 1) At the age of 11 months, she produced a litter of kittens; 2) the kittens were Siamese (there was a gentleman Siamese cat down the street). It was easy to find homes for them. But the day the last kitten was about to be spoken for, my dad–BIG surprise–said, “Don’t you want to keep one?” (My mother said, “Bill?!?”) I was sixteen. Of course I wanted to keep one. I think he’d forgotten how much noise two Siamese cats can make.