I’ve always enjoyed stories about cats, so the cover of Late Today by Jungyoon Huh, illustrated by Myungae Lee and translated by Aerin Park (published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers), captured my attention immediately.

Summary

The busy traffic on a bridge in Seoul, South Korea is making everyone late. Amidst the honking and screeching of tires, a tiny kitten struggles to navigate the dangerous bridge. Drivers see the little kitten and are concerned about him, but no one stops to help him because they don’t want to be late. What will happen to the kitten? Will anyone stop to help him?

Review

My family has rescued three cats, so I was instantly drawn into the little kitten’s story. The illustrations are beautiful, and children will love searching for the kitten in the images. Some of the pages are written in a graphic novel-like format, with little squares of images. I enjoyed this variety of illustrations, but some children may find it a little hard to follow on the first read without an adult to guide them.

Children (and adults) can learn from the story’s message: not to let the busyness of life stop us from helping others. Everyone in the story is concerned about the kitten, but concern is not enough. He needed someone to help him get out from the dangerous road and get him to safety. Late Today reminds readers to pay attention to the small things in life.

I recommend Late Today to children ages 4-8 and think that cat lovers especially will enjoy it.

Check out a review of another one of Eerdmans Books for Young Readers here.

Kathryn Dover enjoys writing short stories and has been blogging for Write2Ignite since 2019. She graduated as valedictorian from Presbyterian College with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics while also minoring in history and creative writing. In addition, she served on the school’s newspaper staff for two years, completing over a dozen articles and photo essays. In her free time, she enjoys reading, photography, playing with her pets, and growing houseplants. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.