Kitten's First Full Moon

This was the Caldecott Medal Winner in 2005, which really kind of surprises me. I usually love Kevin Henkes books, and this one does not fit the mold. I love most of the characters in his books, Lily, Julius, Owen, Chrysanthemum, Wemberly, Chester, Shelia Ray, and there are probably others. They have all been great stories, many of which I have read to my students. Kitten's First Full Moon would probably not be one I would point out to students. The story is ok with kitten thinking the moon was a bowl of milk and then seeing the reflection of the moon in the pond. Seeing kitten taking a flying leap and ending up with a night time swim might bring a chuckle out of some students, but is not up to par with his other stories. The illustrations are done using maybe charcoal, which isn't a usual medium these days. I do not know if maybe this was why this book was chosen, but it's hard to believe that this was the best that was out there in 2005. I read back over this and think I sound really critical, but seriously. I was looking forward to sitting down with a good story and pictures to blog about this evening and instead I'll just have to read another book to make me feel better! :)