Good Cat, Bad Cat: Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel

We've all wondered. Why would such a good kitty DO THAT?

Nick Bruel, best-selling author of Boing!,ponders that question with awesome artwork and an amazing abecedarius in his book Bad Kitty.

All cats get a major sulk on when their owners run out of cat chow, but what really flips Kitty's switch are the alternatives which her owners annouce in alphabetical order, including Eggplants, Fennel, Garlic, Horseradish--ACK! Kitty decides to be bad, very, very bad, bad, BAD, and goes through her own alphabetical list of vengeful misdeeds, as she "Endangered the goldfish, Flooded the bathroom, Grappled with Guests, and Hurled Hairballs at our Heads (Hack, Hack, Hack!)" With the household in shreds (and the Zinnias Zeroed), the owners return from the grocery with a plethora of provender, from "an Assortment of Anchovies" through "Lizard Lasagna" to "baked Zebra Ziti." Happy, but contrite, Kitty atones for her sins by performing an alphabetical list of penitences when she "Cleaned her Cat box," "didn't eat Uncle Murray," and (my favorite) "Washed the car."


The angular illustrations of Kitty, one fang bared as she wreaks havoc and all round-eyed and curly-tailed sweetness when she make amends, and the hilarious parade of alphabetical items keep the letter lessons anything but dull. As a reward for her abject repentance, the family introduces her to their drooly new puppy, "a new friend" that she "can share her food with!" The final page shows Kitty with that fang just visible again. "Uh-oh!"

Any picture book which can go through the alphabet four times and still get googols of giggles is a keeper. Even if you don't like cats, your kids will love to bring Bad Kitty home!