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.

This is a very cutely illustrated picture book. The story itself was just ok for me. Students interested in martial arts may find this a fun one to read. I recommend this for early elementary students interested in martial arts.

This is such a sweet story about having a growth mindset. Younger kids will be able to relate with Kitten Jeja. When starting something new we all want to be great at it and jump into the fun or exciting aspects. Just like Kitten Jeja we have to start from the beginning, our white belt, put in the time, effort and dedication to master our goals.

A cute basic introduction to Tae Kwon Do with nice illustrations. I liked the use of many terms used in Tae Kwon Do, as well as the definitions for these terms. An inspirational story that lets kids know to keep on trying to achieve your goals.

In my kids words this books is awesome. The artwork is crisp and adorable. Perfect for an introduction into taekwando.

Kitten is a new student of Taekwondo, and she wants to break a board. Like today. Like right now. But she’ll have to have patience, study, and practice a LOT to build up to that point. Her master and fellow students instruct and help her work toward her goal, and she learns some valuable lessons along the way.

This book was so cute! I know I say that about 100% of the kids’ books I read, but hey, it’s the truth. There’s a good message about sticking with things and working hard to reach one’s goals. There’s also some good information to serve as an introduction to Tawkwondo for kids, and a glossary of terms in the back.

It’s not out until September, but keep it on your radar, because it’s definitely worth checking out.

Fun picture book about a kitten eager to learn Tae Kwon Do and break a board. Good lesson about practice and patience without being preachy. Glossary of terms and pronunciation are very helpful.

Catkwando is the story of Kitten, who joins Tae Kwon Do hoping to learn to break a board immediately. What Kitten finds out though, is that to break a board, she much practice and practice and be patient. She learns about Tae Kwon Do and discovers it is more than just breaking boards. When it is time to break a board, can Kitten apply all that she has learned?

Koren words are sprinkled throughout the text, which is a little jarring, but luckily, between context and the glossary in the back, readers and figure out what the words mean. As someone who knows nothing about martial arts, this title is a sweet introduction. Young fans of martial arts, or children impatient to break their own board will benefit and enjoy this work. The cats and artwork are adorable. It is great that Kitten is shown failing but growing throughout the story. I am concerned that readers won't get the sense of time that passes in this work though.

The story is adorable and it will find fans between cat lovers and marital arts lovers. As far as purchasing for a library? I'd recommend this for larger collections as it is cute, has a readership, but is light in story.

I found this book to be nice, but ultimately forgettable. It will do well enough on our shelves, but there was nothing special to make it stand out from the crowd.

I read this with my almost 8 year old and he loved it. A really sweet way to look at patience, determination and humility.

Fantastic bright illustrations and a well paced story had him hooked. The fact he does karate and understood her frustration with having to “wait” made it an even better read for us.

Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

My cat obsessed girl loved this one.cute story with great illustrations. The perfect bedtime read. We loved this one!

If I love two things, it's cats and martial arts! This book combines the two in an extraordinary, super cute story!

We start off with the Taekwondo Oath, which is just respectful in all forms, and then we're off to the wonderous story! All of the kitties are learning the sport from their Master, and all of them are super cute and fluffy! Along the way, some of the kittens have trouble learning but slowly gain their confidence with the help of their Master and friends. With hard work comes perseverance, and that's what this book is all about!

The book uses correct terminology - dhee, jeja, sabeomnim - which really made my heart sing. I remember doing martial arts back in the day and that really brought back some memories. At the end, there is even a collection of words with their pronunciation and their definitions. I think this is one awesome educational way to introduce martial arts and taekwondo to kids!

I also totally adore the cartoon cats throughout the book. They are the perfect mix of adorableness and colourful!

I think this is one of the best, sweet, little books to introduce hard work and martial arts to kids. It's full of lovely pictures and has an enticing story. I'd definitely recommend young readers pick up this wildly fun book!

Five out of five stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Capstone for an opportunity to pick up this book!

This charming picture book will appeal to preschool to early elementary school children. The illustrations of the cats with their large eyes and different coloring are appealing to the eye and the scenes with action complement the story. The plot about commitment and hard work is universal, but the setting makes it stand out. Kids will not only be introduced or reminded of the value of practice, but many will learn some Korean words (glossary at the back) and taekwondo principles.


Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Catkwondo is a darling book about a kitten who is learning marital arts. Just like her human counterparts (kids), she is impatient and wants things to move along at a much faster pace than they are going. Tae Kwon Do is not easy, and Kitten has a little trouble at first, but once she settles in and starts to focus, things Improve. This story is full of action but also teaches lessons in patience, encouragement and helping others. There are Korean phrases throughout the book and a glossary at the end of Tae Kwon Do terms. The illustrations are colorful and engaging. I smiled the entire time that I was reading this book. This is a great read for younger children to help them learn about trying and failing and what it takes to succeed. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.