MMMMRRRROWW! HISSSS! GOO? Bad Kitty Meets The Baby by Nick Bruel

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS KITTY.

JUST KITTY, ONLY KITTY.

KITTY ALL BY HERSELF.

LIFE WAS GOOD.

Then the folks go away, leaving Kitty with her ridiculous excuse for a co-pet, Poor Puppy, in the dubious care of Uncle Murray, who is an unfortunate choice as pet-sitter, as the local first responders soon learn:

Day One: “Hello, fire department? Hi, I have a cat stuck in a tree.”

Day Two: “Hello, Fire Deparment? I have a dog stuck in a tree. That’s right, I said dog.”

Day Three: “Hello, Fire Department: Hi, it’s me again. Heh Heh. Well, you’re not going to believe this, but the cat and dog are both stuck up in that tree. You know the address.”

Day 4: “Hello, Fire Department? You are not going to believe this, but I’m stuck in the tree this time. It’s kind of a funny story, ...you see.... Hello? HELLO?

Day 5: “Hello, Fire Department? Hi. Still stuck in the tree here, so if you get the chance.....”

Things do not go well for Uncle Murray, but at last the folks are back with their promised surprise for Kitty and Puppy. They plop the new adoptee down on the rug right in front of them. It makes funny noises (from both ends) like Ma! and Bye-bye and BLORP!!; it drools a bit, it crawls a bit, and it smells more than a bit.

For once, Kitty and Puppy share the same thought:

WHAT IS THAT THING?

Kitty is sure it’s a dog, but Puppy thinks it’s a cat. Kitty calls on her friends to give their opinions–Big Kitty, Twin Kitties, Stinky Kitty, Chatty Kitty, Pretty Kitty, and Strange Kitty. Pretty Kitty takes charge, calling for some field tests–The PussyCat Olympics--to determine if the THING is a cat--and it’s a clean sweep for the THING. The Kitty Club calls for a poll: the vote is CAT-7, DOG-1. Bad Kitty is not convinced.

But whatever it is, even Puppy is now unhappy with the new acquisition. Bad Kitty and Puppy are together on this one. Take IT back! Pl-e-e-a-s-e! Or else.

But the folks point out that both displeased pets have a lot in common with the Baby. They all three make messes. They all eat a lot. And... they all once needed a home. They are all ...adopted!

Nick Bruel’s newest, Bad Kitty Meets the Baby (Roaring Brook Press, 2011), may be the funniest Bad Kitty saga yet. Heck, it may be about the funniest book I’ve ever read. My giggles drew bemused glances as I waited in line to pay for it, but like all of cartoonist Bruel’s Bad Kitty series, his quirky illustrations of Kitty and company and wry storytelling are hilarious to all ages. Any adult who’s ever had a cat or a baby will get it, and beginning readers with siblings will hone in on the jealousy thing right away.

As usual, Bruel tucks in off-the-wall added features such as Kitty Quiz Show and “Uncle Murray’s Fun Facts” which add to the fun. There’s no kitty like Bad Kitty, and this one is too good to miss.

Back to School: Orange Peel's Pocket by Rose Lewils

Nicknamed "Orange Peel" because as a baby she tried to eat the peels along with the fruit, Chan Ming knows she was born in China and adopted by her American mom. But one day at school her teacher pulls down a map of a very large country--China. And when her classmates turn to Orange Peel to tell them all about the land of her birth, she realizes that she can't answer their questions.

"I don't know, but I'll find out," she says.

Mom suggests that she interview some of the Chinese-American storekeepers nearby, and Orange Peel finds out that they are delighted to tell her bits of Chinese history, illustrated by their wares. Mr. Fan, the tailor, pulls out some shiny dark thread. "The best silk comes from China," he tells her, fine but strong, and as Orange Peel and her mother thank him for his story and turn to leave, he slips a little somethng into her pocket.

At Ma Sang's antique shop, Orange Peel is amazed at the beautiful treasures she sees, all from China, and as she leaves, Ma Sang slips something into her pocket--one of her own poems, this one about the mountain, lakes, and flowers in her homeland. At Mrs. Lo's flower shop, she is shown some of the famous flowers of China--peonies and chrysanthemums--and the proprietor slips a peony into her pocket.

Ready for a snack, Orange Peel and her mother head for Mr. Yo's Noodle Shop, for bowls of "the best noodle soup in the world" and she learns that he uses an very old family recipe to make his own noodles: "long noodles, long life," he says with a smile, and slips his soup recipe into her pocket.

For dessert, they stop off at Jasmine's Ice Cream Shop, and as Orange Peel tells Jasmine about her Show-And-Tell project at school, she is amazed to learn that ice cream was invented, not in America, but in China, and another surprise is slipped in her pocket secretly as she counts out the change to pay for their cones.

What Orange Peel finds in her pocket that night is a little bit of Chinese lore from each of the shopkeepers--silk thread, a recipe for noodle soup, a flower, a poem, and best of all, a tassel from Jasmine, "red for good luck." With something to show, something to tell, and her good luck red tassel, Orange Peel's report to her class is a success.

Rose Lewis' new Orange Peel's Pocket (Abrams, 2010) is a welcome addition to the literary offerings for Chinese American adopted children. Grace Zong's stylized illustrations in chrysanthemum colors are picturesque, and although this book contributes only tidbits of information on Chinese history and culture, it provides a warm introduction for early elementary children to the heritage of Chinese adoptees.

For more of the personal history of Rose Lewis and her daughter, pair this new one with her earlier autobiographical picture books stories, the wonderful I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, the story of her adoption of her daughter from China, and its equally loving sequel, Every Year on Your Birthday, which journals the story of each of her child's successive birthdays, from her first toy-filled celebration through her second, marked by a red-white-and-blue cake to celebrate her citizenship, to the gift of her first puppy, and finally her "graduation" on her school-aged fifth birthday. Another story of Chinese American adoption is award-winner Grace Lin's moving The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale, which begins with the beautiful Chinese proverb which says, "an invisible, unbreakable red thread connects all who are destined to be together."