Kittens working in construction feels like a pretty niche intersection of interests. The appeal for older readers is certainly going to be in the tongue-in-cheek juxtaposition of these ideas. It's a ludicrous image, kittens building a high rise. Green presents us with a truly bizarre idea with zero explanation. How/why are kittens getting jobs? Green doesn't bother with the why, just the silliness inherent in the image. There is a lot of humor supporting a message about being true to yourself, even when all of society dismisses your dreams.

Kitten Construction Company by John Patrick Green is a light-hearted, somewhat silly book about an architect no one will take seriously. Why? Because Marmalade is an adorable kitten. But Marmalade is determined to prove to doubters that kittens can be architects too. Together with Sampson, Bubbles, and the Professor (more kittens), they start the House Kitten Construction Company. The kittens get together to build Marmalade's plans for the new mayoral manor. When the real manor is revealed, it is found to be very flawed. Thankfully, House Kittens Construction has the day well in hand and their project is used after all. No one believes it was built by a cat crew though. This was an okay read. The artwork is absolutely adorable. Of course, it was being adorable that got the kittens ignored all through the book. They were considered cute, and that took everything away from the knowledge they possessed. I know this was a kid’s book, but all I could think of every time someone was condescending to the kittens, was the parallels between how males can condescending to females in the workplace, most especially if the job in question is one still primarily dominated by men. No matter what the women's qualifications, they couldn't possibly have better ideas than the men. Or the kittens couldn't possibly have better ideas than humans. This is just my opinion, of course. This could be a silly bedtime read for young children.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and First Second Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The art is catastic! I love how cute the cats are and having them do construction is wonderful.
It is wonderful to see a graphic novel that is cute but not girly so that my boys and not girly girl girls will be happy to check it out.
I also love the very real problem that cute kittens would have if they tried to do serious work. There is a very real analogy here to beautiful people trying to do serious work and being thought not capable.
Looking forward to reading more of this series. As a lover of making stuff and cats, I was very happy to get this ARC. Thank you!

Marmalade is a serious architect who never gets taken seriously, just because he’s a cute kitten. He soon meets a kitten named Sampson who’s an electrical engineer and has the same problem. They decide to set out and find a plumber, Bubbles, and a mason/carpenter, Professor von Wigglebottom, to form their own construction company. They start building a mansion for the mayor because they’ve seen the plans on the other construction site and they know that project is going to be a disaster. Will their amazing skills finally gain more notice than their cute fuzziness?

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

I must say, I enjoyed this graphic novel. Of course, since it involved kittens, how could I not enjoy it? The cover of the book was so cute. In fact – the graphics were quite engaging.

Marmalade (along with a bevy of other kitten’s) just wanted to build things. When the powers that be at City Hall decided to construct a new mayor’s mansion, they needed to get an architect… so Marmalade presented her plans for the project. Unfortunately, the city planner could only see Marmalade as a “cute little kitten”. She was frequently considered too adorable to be taken seriously. That did rankle me a wee bit since one should be judged on their professional/work merit and not dismissed due to being adorable or cute. Basically, a good story of discrimination…”no one takes you seriously when you’re a kitten.” -> a common comment throughout the story. Okay, enough of a rant….carrying on…

Another point which I found a bit disturbing was in the beginning when Sampson decided to join forces with Marmalade but needed to finish out his shift at the diner was that Marmalade and Sampson licked the plates clean…if that was the way the diner cleaned its dishes – yuck.

Seems that many “professional” kittens in the city were not getting taken seriously so they all joined forces (creating the Kitten Construction Company) and created a wonderful, safe mayor’s mansion. The comradery along with the hard work definitely sent a positive message. I loved how they all worked seamlessly and with purpose until the project was complete.

A number of the comments were priceless –for example:

“Sounds like you’ve got an itch you can’t scratch”.

Certainly a number of references which are for the more mature reader. For example when Marmalade’s plans are rejected by the city planner:

“I need to drown my sorrows.

One saucer of milk! And keep ‘em coming!”

All in all – an enjoyable read with a number of great messages and entertaining graphics for the younger reader. I think this graphic novel will be a winner!

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Marmalade is the best architect you'd ever want to meet - but she's also an adorable kitten, too! How can she get anyone to take her seriously? By teaming up with an adorable group of similarly skilled kittens to form the Kitten Construction Company, of course! Sampson, an electrical engineer, Bubbles, a skilled (and easily distracted) plumber, and Professor von Wigglebottom, a carpenter with a lot of contacts, decide to build their own mansion for Mewtown's mayor. This graphic novel is the first in a new series and it's too much fun for younger readers. There are great sight jokes, crisp, kid-friendly cartooning, and a smart story about being taken seriously, no matter how cute you are. I can't wait to see more of this series!

Marmalade is a serious architect who never gets taken seriously, just because he’s a cute kitten. He soon meets a kitten named Sampson who’s an electrical engineer and has the same problem. They decide to set out and find a plumber, Bubbles, and a mason/carpenter, Professor von Wigglebottom, to form their own construction company. They start building a mansion for the mayor because they’ve seen the plans on the other construction site and they know that project is going to be a disaster. Will their amazing skills finally gain more notice than their cute fuzziness?

As much as it would probably make the characters all cringe, this is an adorable concept. Cute kittens with serious skills who aren’t taken seriously? Fantastic idea, Mr. Green. And the way he capitalizes on the humor of their angst is fun. I like that this book introduces kids to a variety of occupations that aren’t getting a lot of page time or glory these days. (When’s the last time you read a book in which the plumber was a heroine and not the brunt of jokes?) I also think it is great that the cats plus the building theme together will draw a broad range of readers. Definitely will be purchasing this title for our elementary school library, and I’m sure kids will anxiously be awaiting the next book in the series.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Green's previous title Hippopotamister, so I expected to like Kitten Construction Company as well, but I didn't realize I was going to enjoy it as much as I did. I usually find overt messages annoying in children's books, but while this is pretty overt with the message of not judging someone by their outer appearance, it's completely palatable with these kittens (who really are ridiculously cute!). Kids are going to eat this up and actually learn a nice life lesson, without it being shoved in their faces.

I loved this book. It had me laughing out loud. It had me wanting to jump up and show it to people around me. It had me wanting lots more. I read it to my five year old daughter, who starts building camp next week and is crazy about cats and she immediately wanted me to read it again and started picking out who in the family had to play each cat. It's such a sweet and simple story that illustrates a the concept of prejudice perfectly, without being preachy and while being a great read. I especially loved the interplay between what the kittens were thinking and doing and what other people were seeing, I think it's something that will mean a lot to kids.

John Patrick Green put a surprising animal into the job market in Hippopotamister, and it was fun. His next book, Kitten Construction Company: Meet the House Kittens, uses even cuter animals in even weirder work.

The city wants to build a new mayor’s mansion. Marmalade, an orange cat, is an architect and provides the best design, but the (human) city planner rejects it because it was provided by a “cute little kitten”. He says, “I regret that you are just too adorable to be taken seriously.”

Marmalade is determined. She meets another cat who happens to be an electrical engineer, but he can only get work as a dishwasher. They team up and persevere through a number of obstacles to follow their dreams. Mostly, they can’t do what they want — and are trained — to do because everyone is distracted by how adorable they are. No one will acknowledge that the cats know what they’re doing because of how they look. (But they will hire them for grunt work.) This isn’t a totally bad problem to have, since the reader will agree, they are very cute. (We’re part of the problem!)

Kitten Construction Company: Meet the House Kittens is an odd little book. The fantasy of cats doing construction jobs is silly fun, but the emotions run the gamut, as the reader shares Marmalade’s frustration at wanting to use her training and degree but being told she can’t. Determination, creativity, and teamwork are fine messages, but how did a cat in a people world get an architecture degree, anyway? Wouldn’t she have run into this issue during that process? (If I am overthinking, it’s because I sympathized with and was rooting for Marmalade and her friends that much.)

The story has a simplified layout, with most pages having only one or two panels, but the images are dense with detail. The one-panel pages are reserved for the most important or cutest images, with kittens licking plates clean or working construction wearing hard hats.

Such an adorable book (although the main characters would HATE that description!). No one takes these very talented kittens seriously until they decide to work together on an amazing construction project. The book will be available in September 2018, making it the perfect selection for a Christmas gift for the children in your life--or even an adult who loves kittens!!

It is my understanding that this is just the first in a series of adventures for Marmalade, Sampson, Bubbles and The Professor. I certainly hope so!

Oh the feels!!!! I loved this book!!! I'm in happy tears over this book! The kittens are adorable and the story is wonderful!

If I understood right, this is going to be a series! I hope so! 

The illustrations are amazing as well, as so very detailed! 

You can pre-order it now, and lock in the price at this link. It will be available to the public early September 2018. A perfect time to get it as a Christmas gift the children in your life...because KITTENS!!!!! <3

https://www.amazon.com/Kitten-Construction-Company-House-Kittens/dp/1626728305/ref=sr_1_1_det?ie=UTF8&qid=1530025079&sr=8-1#productPromotions

Marmalade has designed an exceptional new mansion for the Mayor of Mewburg, but unfortunately the city planner won’t approve the project because Marmalade is “just too adorable to be taken seriously.” The admittedly adorable kitten is dismayed but not deterred. She teams up with Sampson (an electrical engineer turned grudging dishwasher) and Bubbles (a plumber) to start an all-kitten construction company. They’re ready to prove that they’ve got the smarts and skills to earn respect, but what will it take to make everyone forget how darn cute they are? Maybe a competitor’s catastrophe will turn into the House Kittens’ golden opportunity, if only Bubbles can avoid distractions like laser pointers and balls of yarn! Appealing artwork, bustling cityscapes, and friendly faces will draw elementary schoolers to this winning graphic novel. With a nod to respect and equality in the workplace, John Patrick Green has crafted a … yes, adorable addition to library shelves!

I read an excerpt of this story in a special publication for Free Comic Book Day. I was intrigued by the premise of adorable kittens who seem to know more about construction than the humans (who apparently hired them <i>because</i> they're adorable and then set them to work doing nothing-tasks). I'm having difficulty with reading the eARC on my available devices, so I might have to wait until I can get the book in a physical format. Let me just say, the story thus far has fully hooked my attention and I look forward to completing it.

I loved John Patrick Green's last graphic novel, Hippopotamister. It has been a hit at my library and a personal favorite. This latest book by John Patrick green has the same cute art style and again we see animals trying to do human jobs. These kittens are too awesome to not be taken seriously, but just look at how adorable they are! This is a very cute introduction to what I hope to be a great series by John Patrick Green.

Kitten Construction Company by John Patrick Green seems like just a cute story on the surface and it may be, but I really think that it is a social justice book in its own way looking at people who are looked at as not equal no matter how qualified they are.

Adorable! No one would take the kitties seriously until they worked together to combine their strengths. For fans of Catstronauts.

A funny story for kids with appropriate humor for adults mixed in that illuminates real-world issues. Cute illustrations.

Did you know that cats can be architects, engineers, plumbers, and carpenters? The hardest part is getting the humans to take them seriously. All humans want to do is get cute cat pictures, but all these kittens want to do is build. And they may just get their chance to build the Mayor’s mansion if they can prove good work. This is a fun graphic novel for beginning chapter readers.

If your child likes kittens, then this book is sure to be a hit. The House Kittens are not your everyday house cat, they are smart and capable. Everyone thinks they are just cute kittens and even when they prove themselves as wonderful builders, only one person really believes they built the house. A fun book to show that you can do whatever you put your mind to and not let others convince you not to try. This is written in graphic novel/comic book format and that will appeal to young readers. I am looking forward to more in this series. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.