TOO MANY KITTENS

Another kitten story by the author-artist team of The Grocery Kitten and again the sort of book that children will love (but to my way of thinking, not nearly so successful a story). Bertha, the cat, gave birth to five kittens, in the Smiley's summer boarding house at the seashore. Susie's mother said they must be given away, else there'd be trouble with the boarders. So Susie proceeded to hide them- and later, with the connivance of the boarders, to keep the secret until Labor Day rolled around -- and Bertha presented the household with seven more kittens. Just what concealing so important a thing from her mother would do to any nice little girl's conscience seems not to trouble the author a mite. (But it did bother one four year old who listened to the story with concentrated attention.) Harry Lees in his full color illustrations has again given almost photographic attention to the details children like to find in pictures- but somehow there's a rather old-style billboard technique to the pictures that gives the book a dated look.