The Three-Legged Kitten

By: Samuel Lopez 
Publisher: Little Five Star, a Division of Five Star Publications 
Publication Date: October 2009 
ISBN: 978-1589851573 
Reviewed by: Holly Connors 
Review Date: October 2009 

The Three-Legged Kitten is part of a new four book series written by Samuel Lopez, the owner of the Compassionate Pet Sanctuary in California. Along with his wife Cheri, Samuel takes in lost, abandoned, and injured animals. They rehabilitate the animals and then either find good homes or, in many cases, let the animals live out their lives at the sanctuary.

The Three-Legged Kitten follows the story of a small kitten who was thrown out of a truck and landed, hard, in a junk yard. Discovered the next day by the junk yard’s owner, the kitten was hurt and hungry. He gave the kitten some food but had no intention of keeping the cat. Fortunately, Mr. Lopez came along and volunteered to take the injured kitten. Sadly, when Mr. Lopez took the kitten to the vet, the doctor was unable to save one of the animal’s legs. Despite this setback, the cat’s life is saved and the story continues on a positive note.

This new children’s book offers a good lesson on adoption and helping animals in need. Children will learn about caring for a hurt kitten, a visit to the vet, and the amazing ability of animals to compensate for an injured/missing limb. Given the topic, this book may not be appropriate for very young children (it is marketed for older kids from 9-12) and there is a fair amount of text, more suitable for that older age group.

The drawings are simplistic and bright and even in the drawings where the kitten is injured, she has a smile on her face. At the end of the story, there are several pictures of the real kitten, playing and climbing a tree. Proceeds from the sale of this book, and the others in this series, go to sustain the Compassionate Pet Sanctuary.

Quill says: An uplifting story about helping an injured kitten.