Little Goddess Girls – Artemis & the Wishing Kitten

Little Goddess Girls Artemis & the Wishing Kitten, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams, is a sparkly pet-show story for 7 year olds about a pink kitten that two boys both say is theirs.

What happens

Artemis and her three best friends are walking up the Hello Brick Road to Sparkle City. Artemis is teaching Athena's little dog Oliver to fetch her magic arrows, which loop-the-loop in the air.

On the way they meet a boy called Paris holding a lost pink kitten. Then a second boy, Odysseus, comes running up. He says the kitten is called Helen, and she belongs to his king.

Paris isn't giving her back. "Finders keepers!" he says, and off he goes through the magic glass wall into the city.

Only people with pets are allowed in for the show. So how will Odysseus get in without one? The girls help him build a horse out of branches and flowers.

Grown-ups will be grinning at this bit. A Greek called Odysseus, a wooden horse, a boy called Paris and someone called Helen? The authors say at the end that it's based on the Trojan Horse myth. Children won't need the myth to enjoy it, but it's a lovely little extra to chat about.

The pet show itself is great fun. There's a flying blue pig who recites poems, a snake who acts out plays and a skunk who sings a song called "We Love to Stink". Oliver does tricks with Artemis's arrows, and everyone cheers.

Then something odd starts to happen. All the pets want to be with Artemis, and she has no idea why. The kitten is much more than cute, it turns out. Artemis has to think quickly and kindly to sort out the argument without anyone losing.

It's a short, bright, simple read. The chapters are quick, the jokes are gentle and nobody is ever really in danger. At the back there's a word list and some questions to talk about together, which are handy if you're reading it side by side.

There are earlier Little Goddess Girls books, but everything you need is explained along the way.

What to read next

If your reader likes Artemis best, try the book where she's still scared of animals and hoping Zeus will give her courage, Artemis & the Awesome Animals.