Robin Hollo’s picture book How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have? is best described as a children’s book with a huge heart. Pearl and her small black cat, Nugget, live in a little cottage. They’re the best of friends and do everything together until one day, a cry from the other side of their white picket fence brings an unexpected surprise in the form of a tiny orange-colored kitten who needs a home. Pearl and Nugget take in the stray, naming her Ginger, and the three of them get along famously – until three more strays show up in quick succession. Soon, Pearl’s tiny cottage is bursting at the seams, and chaos reigns everywhere. Pearl realizes that everyone is miserable and that things will have to change quickly…

Children’s books are wonderful in that there’s always a life lesson built into an engaging story. In the case of How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have?, Robin Hollo teaches children to be charitable, think of others, be kind to animals, and have empathy. More importantly, she shows how even the most unselfish of acts can have consequences that result in difficult choices having to be made. The narrative is simple and straightforward and appropriate for the targeted age group. The illustrations are colorful and complement the narrative. There’s a certain expressive quality in the eyes of each cat that gives each of them a personality that’s utterly irresistible. How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have? is the perfect story for introducing young children to the concept of being charitable to stray animals – and their unexpected consequences when one can’t say no!

How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have? by Robin Hollo is a children's picture book that follows its protagonist, a young girl named Pearl, and her cat Nugget as they accidentally put themselves in a position where the titular question must be asked and answered. The book begins with a description of the bond between Pearl and Nugget and all of the things they do together, which includes sleeping together peacefully in Pearl's cozy bed. Over the course of the next several days, stray kittens and cats begin to make their way into the home of Pearl and Nugget, crowding the bed and ultimately forcing Pearl to decide how many cats she and Nugget can comfortably accommodate and what to do with the others who have joined them.

As someone who has been a foster mom for dozens of cats, I was immediately intrigued by How Many Kittens Can One Girl Have? by Robin Hollo. My children and I could easily understand where the dilemma lay with Pearl and Nugget and the difficulty in finding balance when you have so much love to give to animals who are desperately in need of it, and the reality of space accommodation. It is clear that Pearl has this same massive heart. The resolution comes swiftly. Although I think it could do a better job of depicting how difficult it is in real life to find forever homes for cats and kittens who need them, as a kid-lit book that very well might be the first entry into the world of fostering and adoption for children, this is a wonderful launchpad to initiate that conversation. The beautiful color illustrations bring Pearl and her cats to life, especially the lovely way their eyes express emotion. Overall, this is a good little book that both parents and children can enjoy together.