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In this book for middle-grade readers, a farmer and his wife return from a winter vacation in the spring to find that their cat, Mamakitty, has given birth. Her kitten, Angel, is snow white with blue eyes. While the farmer and his wife usually find new homes for Mamakitty’s offspring, Angel is so beautiful and sweet that they decide to keep her. Over the course of the year, Angel learns about the world and gets into many adventures along the way. She meets and plays with the farm’s barn cats, rides in the car, and in true kitten form, sticks her nose and tail anywhere she can.
Angel’s adventures are sometimes cute, such as when she explores the cold but ashy fireplace and subsequently needs her first real bath. Other adventures are more suspenseful, like her encounters with a hungry fox. While there is no direct violence, the scenes with the fox may be frightening for younger audiences. The farmer uses his gun to scare off the fox, and some animals are injured in the fox’s pursuit. The story gives these moments the weight they deserve, but also provides reassuring scenes of all of the cats safe and on the mend soon after.
Beautiful descriptions of rural landscapes and sweet interactions between the farmer and his wife help flesh out Angel’s world. These details complete the picture of all the farm’s occupants as one big family, all of whom respect and care for each other. Occasional full-page illustrations show the action of the plot with bright colors and simple lines. While the vocabulary and longer chapters are oriented toward middle-grade readers, children as young as five can appreciate the sweet story and loveable characters in this book if it is read aloud.