My grandson and I read this book together? He enjoyed it tremendously! I thought that his opinion would be more accurate than mine since he is a student of Taekwondo at 7 years old and has won medals and is in a special class where they learn the use of weapons. A class that you have to. E asked to participate in. I would definitely recommend this book? Thank you for allowing me to read it and share special quality time with my grandson!

The cats in this book are ADORABLE! I don’t know much about Taekwondo, but I loved learning a little about it through the cute story. I especially liked the messages/values that Taekwondo instills. I also think the sound effects add fun to the story if read aloud especially.

I will admit I don't know a lot about Taekwondo but I am drawn to cat books for my daughter. There wasn't much in depth information on Taekwondo but it did focus on the traits and ideas that many of us strive for in life. I believe focusing on this instead of the fancy moves made me fall in love with this book. It's a message that helps teaches my daughter the importance of these special traits such as patience and practice to name two.

I love how this teaches little children about perseverance, patience, and dedication using a cat as the main character.

***Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected release date September 1, 2020.***

3.5 – 4 stars

A cute book about a kitten that wants to learn Taekwondo. Her original goal is only to break a board … ultimately, through patience and practice, gains the skills and confidence that lead to her goal.

Catwondo will fit nicely into my repertoire of books that I share to teach resilience. The illustrations are bold and follow the story perfectly. The dialogue and vocabulary are perfect for young readers. I will be able to sell this to my K-2 students for sure.

Adorable book about a little kitty that just wanted to break a board! Learn about taekwondo through this fun narrative!

The premise of teaching little ones the principles of through this story was a good one but not super well executed. For this age range, if kids don’t know a word they get frustrated, so having the glossary at the end with no explanation throughout is not helpful. The art was very cute and the story was sweet but the format wasn’t right for this story.

This is a cute story with wonderful illustrations. The kitten in this book is very adorable and the title is too — perfect idea for a title! Kitten wants to learn Tae Kwan Do and joins a class. She needs patience to learn all about it, but there are steps she needs to take and not everything is learned in a day. Practice and focus are part of it too. “Kerplunk, Swish” move along with Kitten as she works to master martial arts or does she? She learns different things along the way to perhaps break a board, which is something she really wants to do. A nice thing at the very end that will be helpful for younger readers to understand terms and how to pronounce words is the glossary. This book is a nice way to introduce Tae Kwon Do and martial arts to early elementary age. If you are looking for a book about a cat, perseverance, learning, patience or something fun to read aloud this is a good option. This is a fun story with a nice lesson too.

Catkwondo by Lisl H. Detlefsen. Publication Date: September 1, 2020

Description from NetGalley
“Kitten wants to a break a board, and she wants to do it now. But Tae Kwon do is not easy. Kitten must focus. She must practice. And above all, she must be patient. Will Kitten's determination and dedication pay off when it's finally time to break a board?”

Thank you to @NetGalley, @capstone for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
This book is a good picture book and would be a great book for kids interested in starting Taekwondo. If they are already in Taekwondo, the glossary at the back will help them with the terms used. You may want to practice saying the words if you’re going to read aloud to kids. Some images are repetitive. Some pages quite busy with images. But overall, it’s a good book because it’s also a story of perseverance and patience. A helpful guide for young readers to learn that rewards are best when we wait and work hard to earn it.

Thank you NetGalley and Capstone Editions for this free copy in return for an honest opinion. I was sort of disappointed in this book. Lots of big-eyed cats working on Taekwando, as unnamed kitten cat comes into class and immediately want to break boards with her feet. The Master teaches discipline and patience. And following weeks or months of growth kitten is finally able to master her desire. The book does discuss those virtues, but the story itself is very spartan in words, and while the illustrations are meant to be cute, funny and teaching, they just were not my cup of tea. Compared with other books in the age 4-8 category I give this one a 3***

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical going into this one. But it's actually really cute and teaches some basic terms about taekwondo while it's telling a simple story about a kitten with a goal.

Kitten really wants to break a board. But first, she has to learn the basics. She eventually earns her yellow belt. But she's still not quite ready to break that board. More practice (and patience) is necessary. But when it finally comes time to give that board-breaking a try, will Kitten be able to do it?

The illustrations are a little too cutesy for my taste, but they are amusing. The story is populated by anthropomorphized cats. There's a great glossary at the back (with a pronunciation guide) that explains the Korean words used throughout the story.

This might find the best audience in kids who are just starting out in taekwondo themselves, but it offers a great introduction to readers who don't know much about taekwondo at all. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I'd definitely recommend checking this one out.

Good artwork. I liked the elements of the book in teaching perseverance when things seem tough. overall think it was q good story I would recommend.

The story is trying to be an inspirational tale to young children on the benefits of hard work and perseverance. The writing style brings to mind the simple chants or mantras that you learn early on in many martial arts fields. That fits well for the theme of the book, but doesn't flow well when read out loud. I would definitely recommend this book the kids who are already familiar with taekwondo, or at least have a working idea of what all is involved. some of the technical terms are a bit confusing if you don't know what they're talking about, but the glossary at the end does help.

The artwork does not always bring your attention to the action in the story, and sometimes feels a little bit repetitive.

Catkwondo is a very cute picture book about a kitten who wants to learn taekwondo and break a board. She has to learn that it takes patience and practice to break the board. I read this adorable book to my 5 year old son and he loved it. He said his favorite part was everyone cheering for the kitten.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

An adorable story for cat and dog lovers alike, Catkwondo follows the journey of a young cat who is eager to break a board. Through hard work, determination, and the encouragement of her classmates and master, she learns the technique of Taekwondo and after several weeks of training, she is deemed finally ready. Will she be able to do it?

This story does a fantastic job of teaching readers not only about Taekwondo with definitions and visuals, but also about the important lessons of patience and perseverance. It is a harsh contrast to the instant gratification movement and will help parents/guardians, librarians, and teachers, guide young readers toward the truth that a lot of things that are worth having take time, patience, and of course, perseverance.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Capstone Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. What a fun story. Loved the artwork. My one suggestion is (maybe I missed it) to asterisk or highlight the words that are defined at the end of the book. Thanks was very helpful. Enjoyed it and a great reminder to keep practicing. Perseverance pays off!! 4 stars

This cute picture books follows a kitty that starts Taekwondo with an eager attitude that must be tamed with patience in order to achieve her goals. The book's illustrations are adorable and demonstrates the feelings of the kitty in her journey of growth in learning Taekwondo. She feels things from frustration to hope to pride. This is a book that I would love to do during my storytime.

Detlefsen shows the art of hardwork and determination through a tiny kitten learning taekwondo. I can see my own child wanting to pick up this sport after reading this book.

Also, the art style is so cute; these kitties could be straight out of a Disney/Pixar film.

Kitten joins a Tae Kwon Do class. Problem, kitten doesn’t have patience to work up to the more difficult moves in the art.

Kitten wants to a break a board! Kitten wants to break it in her first class! She quickly learns Tae Kwon Do is not something one learns in a day. Rather Kitten must focus. She must practice. And above all, she must be patient. Will Kitten’s determination and dedication pay off when it’s finally time to break a board?

This is a beautifully fun book with a cute kitten who has to learn the valuable lesson of patience. The illustrations are vivid and exciting. Although the picture of the master on page five looks to me as his face is upside down. But that’s part of the fun.

The book is filled with expressive onomatopoeia such as “kerplunk, whoosh, swish and uht!”

The book will appeal especially to those familiar with martial arts. You will find lots of positivity throughout the book as is a major tenant of martial arts.

A definite welcomed addition to the picture book collection.