Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Fiction: Bad Kitty - Drawn to Trouble by Nick Bruel

AS BOTH THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR OF THIS BOOK, I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT.

Bwaaa-haaa-haaa! His name is Nick Bruel, and he is the master of this universe. It's often not a pretty sight, with a main character (or protagonist, as Nick explains patiently) like Bad Kitty, a born contrarian. Kitty tries to resist being put into a story, stalking away to her basket with her favorite snarky retort:

FEH!

Kitty also tries snatching Nick's pencil from his all-powerful hand when she doesn't like the plotline.

And she particularly doesn't care for Nick's choice of an antagonist to introduce the conflict:

"HI! I'M TERRY THE TURNIP!"

No, not now, Terry. Go back! Go Back!

Terry? Don't worry about him, Kitty. That was just a little foreshadowing, which is when a writer drops little hints about what's going to come later in the story.

Nick goes on to explain that he has to pick a setting for the story, and after Kitty gets an unexpected dowsing in the briny deep setting of a pirate tale, almost gets snatched by a zombie or chomped by a lion, the author relents and settles on the relatively quiet confines of Kitty's house as the setting.

"Now?"

Soon, Terry, soon. Just be patient.

It's time to think of what unfolds to make things happen in Kitty's plot. Now what is Kitty's conflict to be? She's a famous overeater, so the hand of the creator draws Kitty as the star of Bad Kitty Goes On A Diet. Now, that's a sure-fire best-seller. But to be a real literary success, the story must have a theme. Could it be a turnip? Uh, oh. Even authors have a hard time explaining themes. Where's an English teacher when you need one? Let's consult Uncle Murray's Fun Facts.

"Well, you've been talking a lot about things like "character" and "setting" and "plot" and stuff like that. I think the theme here is about writing stories," (says the sage in the undershirt).

Uncle Murray knows his novels. So now all Nick Bruel and Bad Kitty have to do is pick a suitable plot, put in some arresting plot points to wake up their readers, choose a style (comic, scary, lyrical), add a few minor characters (Strange Cat? Chatty Cat?), and they're on their way to a conclusion, so Kitty can get back to her nap.

But, WAIT! Nick still has to work Terry the Turnip into the story. I know he's annoying, but a promise is a promise.

Nick Bruel, the brilliant author-illustrator of all those best-selling Bad Kitty books, decides to morph into Meta-Fiction Man (all the cool authors are doing it, you know), and open up that fourth wall to his extremely intelligent readers, in his seventh in series, Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble (Roaring Brook Press, 2014). After this one, Bruel's readers are ready to ace the "elements of fiction" section of their state language arts tests: viz.:

The protagonist is

a. a little hint at what happens later in the story

b. the main character

c. a turnip.

Bruel even teaches his dear readers how to draw Bad Kitty, part by part, in case they want to do their own book, in this laugh-out-loud manual to the art of writing and reading fiction, making this Bad Kitty beginning chapter book an excellent kick-off for the study of analysis of fiction for kids of all ages. Strange Kitty, Expert on Everything, even points out that Nick has failed to note the attribution of the hand of the creator in the story, citing Looney Tunes' Duck Amuck and Rabbit Rampage as precursors. Bruel's quirky characters and comic style could make a turnip laugh, and this one may be the best yet. As Kirkus' starred review reports, "Surprisingly (and sneakily) instructional, totally hilarious…and worth every penny. (glossary, recipe)"

WAIT! Glossary? Where? What for?

And there's a recipe for roasted turnips?

Bwaa-haaa-haaa!

And now, the Appendix....

Trial by Multiple Choice: Bad Kitty Takes the Test by Nick Bruel

Good morning, Kitty!

Kitty is sleeping off a totally unprovoked attack by a flock of birds, resulting in an injurious fall from the tree, when she is awakened by her owner with an official letter from S.C.A.M, the Society of Cat Aptitude Management.

Who knew pussy cats had to pass an aptitude test?

Apparently, Bad Kitty has been recalled by the powers that be for being guilty of uncatlike behavior.

Your cat license has been REVOKED.

In order to renew your cat license, you have to take a special course on being a cat, followed by a TEST.

Bad Kitty is incensed, but the next morning she finds herself in class, at a desk, along with her associate Chatty Kitty, one very odd kitty who looks like a chicken with clip-on cat ears, and another less-than-catlike student, Uncle Murray, who thinks he at the Driver's License Division for a simple license renewal.

And Bad Kitty's instructor is none other than Strange Kitty, with his usual top hat, rep tie, and erudite manner.

Bad Kitty knows how to deal with this situation. She promptly falls asleep.

She doesn't miss much. Strange Kitty rolls in the A-V cart with TV set and an up-to-date playback device known as a VCR, and starts an instructional video, "Our Friend The Cat," a ProTest, er, TestPro Production, starring their ever-popular avuncular host, Uncle Barney.

Then comes the multiple choice pre-pre-pre-pre, etc., test, proctored by a supervisor who also looks suspiciously like a graduate of ProTest, er, TestPro's Poultry Policing Department.

"Maybe we should get started," said Strange Kitty.

The ProTest, er, TestPro's procter replies in multiple-choice format:

A) Gosh! You think?
B) DUH!
C) What a brilliant idea.
D) All of the above.

Answer: D

Will Bad Kitty make the grade or be a feline failure? Of course, between catnaps Bad Kitty craftily analyzes her test and comes up with egg-zactly what the test demands, in Nick Bruel's latest beginning chapter book, Bad Kitty Takes the Test (Square Fish, 2017). Author Bruel and his oddball cartoon cats poke zany fun at multiple-choice testing and chickens, and Bruel even appends "A Final Note" which quotes Strange Kitty's tips on test taking, as well as a scintillating interview of the author-illustrator by none other than Uncle Murray. And isn't that worth a passing grade?

A) True
B) False
C) Who cares? Cats are a blight on society and the world would be better off without them.
D) Chickens rule.

Other killer-diller Bad Kitty beginning chapter books include Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble, Bad Kitty Gets a Bath, Bad Kitty Goes to the Vet, and Bad Kitty School Daze.

Tales from the Campaign Trail: Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel

NEXT WEEK, OLD KITTY WILL LEAVE OFFICE* AND GIVE UP HIS ROLE AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD CAT CLUB.

WHY? IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE HE'S OLD AND TIRED. IT'S ALSO BECAUSE HE WILL HAVE SERVED TWO FULL TERMS IN OFFICE WHICH IS THE LONGEST ANY KITTY IS ALLOWED TO BE PRESIDENT.

And that means... Bad Kitty's moment has come. She had wisdom. She has a persuasive personality. (Mwroour! Hiss! FFFTTT!) And she has an issue--the invasion of her neighborhood by stray cats who seem to be occupying the trash cans along the street. And it seems she has a wily and wise campaign manager, her ever-patient owner who is more than willing to instruct her in the ways of politics.

First, he explains, there is that little matter of an ELECTION!

WHY, EVEN BEFORE YOU GET ELECTED TO BE PRESIDENT, YOU HAVE TO WIN ANOTHER ELECTION JUST SO YOU CAN HAVE THE HONOR OF RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

The ever-willing Uncle Murray steps in to offer technical advice on little items like running for the nomination of your party. Party affiliations are easy to establish--right and left, right? Right and left sides of the street in this case. Bad Kitty soon has a rival for the nomination from the other side--BIG Kitty, who is the winner, paws down in the contest for BABY kissing (just as soon as Baby is done with her her French fries). Now it's on to the general election.

Just when Bad Kitty is getting down and dirty at the grassroots (NO! KITTY, NO! That's NOT what I meant!) another political consultant is called in to draw the veil over that scene, Edna Prunelove, who comes forth to offer campaign advice, and Bad Kitty, done with her digging, is off to try to garner an endorsement from Old Kitty and do some door-to-door campaigning. Chatty Kitty is all too eager to talk, but when opponent Big Kitty opens his door, Bad Kitty is so enraged by his imperturbability (whatcha bet his fur never moves in a hurricane?) and annoying Stepford cat smile, that she goes into one of her famous cat fits.

"MEOWR FFT FFT HISS SPIT REOWR!"

The next thing she knows the photo of her little off-message gaff is on the front page with the headline...

HISSY-FIT! CAT CANDIDATE FREAKS OUT!

...and the video is on the nightly news and going viral on VueTube. Bad Kitty fires her campaign manager.

But Uncle Murry steps into the breach with a little consulting on raising funds for the media campaign--complete with the skinny on PACs and 527 Groups, and soon Bad Kitty has the funds to come up with her own image-morphing video suggesting that Big Kitty is a not just a dog of a candidate but is perhaps an dog in kitty clothing! This campaign is proving full of dirty tricks...and then comes the big DEBATE, moderated by Strange Kitty, who suddenly seems more normal than the two candidates.

At long last comes the actual election day. But, whoa! There are challenges to a voter's registration, and some strange ballot irregularities, and the outcome is clouded, and then... the missing absentee vote turns up just as the polls are about to close!

If all of this sounds more than vaguely familiar to those of us who are worn out with robo-calls, it all points to the comic skills of Bad Kitty's quirky creator, Nick Bruel, whose newest, Bad Kitty for President (Roaring Brook, 2012), somehow manages to make the electoral process pointedly hilarious.

With this chapter book format that takes his cranky Kitty into new territory, populated by both beginning chapter primary readers just venturing out of the picture book phase and older middle readers who may have thought they were too mature for Bad Kitty books. Bruel continues to create comic publications that engage readers, from preschoolers to adults, in laugh-out loud stories. His forte lies equally in his comic art skills and in his keen comic sense that poignantly pokes gentle fun at both kitty and human foibles. "With their trademark wit, Bruel and his bad Kitty are back," says Booklist's reviewer of Bruel's latest.

Purrrrfect! Bad Kitty School Daze by Nick Bruel

"WELL, PETS, MY NAME IS DIABLA VAN GLOOM. BUT I WANT YOU TO CALL ME MISS DEE. WELCOME TO MY SCHOOL. SCHOOL, AS YOU KNOW, IS A PLACE WHERE YOU GO TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW.

I DON'T BELIEVE IN "NAUGHTY" OR "CONFUSED" OR "BAD" PETS. I BELIEVE YOU ARE GOOD PETS, AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT."

"FEH" mutters Bad Kitty.

Yet another pool of Puppy's drool on the head of a sleeping Bad Kitty has brought on a hissing, spitting, woofing, chasing cat-dog fight which results in Baby's falling and bawling.

In the words of the legendary Miss Nelson, "Something must be done."

It's off on the big yellow bus (driven, not surprisingly, by Uncle Murray) to obedience school for wayward pets, where they are met by their teacher, Diabla Von Gloom. But Ms. Van Gloom is no Cruella Deville. She is the quintessential persistently and perkily positive preschool-type teacher. She co-opts Kitty's pique by complimenting her on her LOVE LOVE ANGEL KITTEN backpack, and sits them down for Circle Time.

But Bad Kitty's classmates are not promising.

"NO ONE GOES BEFORE DR. LAGOMORH! I'M A DIABOLICAL MUTANT SUPERVILLAIN!" spouts a Darth Vader masked bunny. "That's no excuse, little bunny. Sit down and wait your turn," says Miss Dee, firmly

"I HATE CATS!"

proclaims Petunia, a burly and belligerent bulldog, launching into a tirade detailing the mayhem she wants to do to any cat she meets. Bad Kitty is intimidated, but as always, she is quick to think on her paws.

"UHHHHH....MOO!

"I HEAR YA, COW SISTER," says Petunia, giving Kitty a
gasp-inducing hug.

While the mutant Dr. Lagomorph continues to mumble on about his superpowers, Miss Dee moves on to the day's activities--Arts and Crafts, where Puppy produces a professional-looking painting and Bad Kitty produces a... paw print, and Show and Tell, where Kitty produces a... hairball.

"I DID NOT KNOW COWS COULD DO THAT," puts in Peturnia.

Then it's time to move on to a bit of bibliotherapy in the form of Storytime, with a fantasy tale of Love Love Angel Kitten finding love for her Baby and Puppy and Peace in the Home.

Bad Kitty's response to all these skill-building, self-esteem producing activities?

PFBBT!!

"NOT COOL, COW SISTER," says Petunia.

At the end of the day, Bad Kitty is the only wayward pet to flunk obedience school. After a chastened Mutant Supervillian Bunny, her co-pet Puppy, who has learned to wear his drool bandana and slurp up his drool with his tongue, and Petunia, who has learned to love Kitty even though she's a cat, are dismissed with diplomas, Bad Kitty alone remains behind with Miss Dee:

"Do you know", says Miss Dee, ... I learned that you're not such a bad kitty. I learned that ... "I'm very proud to have been your teacher."

"PURRRRRRRRRRR!"

Seeing a new Bad Kitty book on the rack is a happy moment, yet one of wondering if Nick Bruel can possibly do it again. Yes! He can! It's classic Bad Kitty in Bruel's just published Bad Kitty School Daze (Roaring Brook, 2013), another graphic beginning chapter books with laugh-out-loud comic genius that's so much fun to read aloud that parents will be loathe to hand it over to the the adamant beginning chapter reader for whom it is intended. Bruel brilliantly parodies many well-worn trophs from the cartoon (and real) world, while giving his Uncle Murray's Fun Facts pages the job of explaining the animal behavior psychology behind cat-dog rivalry and accommodation. A week after its publication, this one is already a best-seller, and rightly so--a wonderful remedy for those winter blah blues. As Publishers Weekly puts it, "Throughout, Bruel has fun defying readers' expectations," and readers will be glad he does.

It's a Wash! Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel

"I HAVE WRONGED YOU! AND TO MAKE UP FOR MY WRETCHED BEHAVIOR, I SHALL REWARD YOU...

FOR I AM NO MERE KITTY! I AM QUEEN ESMERELDA, KITTY OF MAGIC CANDY RAINBOW ISLAND!

I HAVE BEEN SENT TO YOUR LAND TO FIND THE ONE WITH THE TRUEST AND BRAVEST HEART, FOR ONLY THE ONE WITH THE TRUEST AND BRAVEST HEART WOULD DARE TO GIVE A DIRTY, SMELLY KITTY A BATH!

AS A REWARD FOR YOUR TRUE AND BRAVE HEART, I BESTOW UPON YOU THE GREATEST TREASURE EVER GRANTED...

THIS FLYING GOLDEN UNICORN STANDING IN A MAGIC CAULDRON FILLED WITH CHOCOLATE-COVERED DIAMONDS!"

We regret to inform you that Chapter Three was a dream.

Bad Kitty is back, and a stinky kitty she is, after a bit of a brou-ha-ha involving Poor Puppy (Bad Kitty) and a lot of spilled garbage. Tongue-washing isn't an option here. This situation calls for a bath, a bath involving a tub of warm water and lots of kitty shampoo.

In Nick Bruel's latest book in the Bad Kitty series, Kitty's owner knows that it's important to prepare Kitty's bath before you "introduce" her to the tub. Necessary supplies? Oh, warm water, kitty shampoo, dry towels, kitty-shaped bathrobe (with hood), the usual stuff, AND... suit of armor, your doctor on speed dial, a farewell note to the family, plasma and lots and lots of bandages, clean underwear (don't ask!), plane tickets to Aunt Pauline's to hide out until Kitty forgets all about it, and an ambulance in the driveway, motor running.

Giving a cat a bath is a bit like making rabbit stew. You know, first catch the rabbit? Catching a smart kitty takes a bit of doing. Bad Kitty disappears at the very sound of the word "bath," disguising herself cleverly as Puppy, complete with dog collar and a dog vocabulary ("DUHHH. ARF?") Luckily, unmasked, Bad Kitty runs for the bathroom where she once successfully hid out behind the toilet, only to find herself cornered before a steaming tub of bath water by a determined owner. There is an unfortunate incident involving failed persuasion and rather effective claws, until reverse psychology is applied. Kitty is persuaded that after her bath she will enjoy the spectacle of Puppy being doused with icy cold water, scrubbed with the chimney brush, the toilet brush, the paint brush and the toothbrush until he cries for mercy.

And with a MEOWR! REOWR! HISS! and a FFT! FFT! FFT! Kitty is given her bath, emerging as a skinny, scraggly, dripping, mess of bedraggled wet--but clean-smelling--fur. After the bath, of course, Kitty's little left fang is in full view, and her distaste with the whole process and its perpetrator is more than evident. As Bruel points out

This would NOT be a good time to pat her.

In fact, Kitty may avoid you altogether for a few hours... or days... or weeks.

Try not to take it personally. After all, you made Kitty do something that she HATED and never wanted to do....

You both hope you NEVER have to give Kitty a bath again.

Bruel's Bad Kitty Gets a Bath, (Roaring Brook Press) features the most laugh-out-loud hilarity yet. Although the author contends stoutly that this is a beginning chapter book, it is actually somewhere between a small-format picture book, a graphic novel, and a beginning chapter book, happily with the best aspects of all three. Bruel's comic illustrations are perfect examples of what we reviewers mean when we say the illustrations extend the text, and if his actual text were not so witty, this book could stand as a "story without words." But the text is really funny. Anyone who has ever bathed a angry cat (and they are ALL angry when soused in a tub of water) will recognize every bit of this humorous how-to book. In addition to the inserted Daily Nooz (Entire Family Flees for Life!), Quick Quiz, Common Cat Sounds and Their Meanings, Uncle Murray's Fun Facts,, and warning notes from The Editor hiding certain scenes he declares unsuited for the young, there is an Epilogue (How to Give a Puppy a Bath), and a Glossary, all part of the non-stop fun in this howl of a yowling good read.

Bruel's next Bad Kitty tale, Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty is forthcoming from Roaring Brook Press on September 1. Live long and prosper, Bad Kitty!

Shelter Pup: Puppy's Big Day (Bad Kitty) by Nick Bruel

IN CASE IT'S NOT OBVIOUS, KITTY IS IN A VERY, VERY, VERY BAD MOOD TODAY.

AND NOBODY KNOWS WHY.

IT'S WORSE THAN THE DAY SOMEONE SAID KITTY NEEDED A BATH.

IT'S WORSE THAN THE DAY THEY CANCELED HER FAVORITE TV SHOW CLAW AND ORDER.

Clueless as usual, Puppy is oblivious of Kitty's obvious body language. He's in such danger of having his hide shredded that his owner decides to call for backup to get him out of ground zero.

UNCLE MURRAY IS HERE!

Good ol' Uncle Murray is delighted to play dog-owner-for-the-day, but Bad Kitty provides a hurried cat conniption send off, and Puppy and Uncle Murray have to exit the house at top speed.

Uncle Murray soon has a run-in with the legal requirements of dog ownership. In short order he gets citations from an ornery off-page officer of the law--tickets for having no leash, no poop-scooping equipment, no dog license, and walking Puppy through a NO DOGS ALLOWED park.

"HOLY SALAMI! THIS WHOLE DOG-WALKING THING IS STARTING TO COST ME SOME BIG BUCKS!"

Finally Uncle Murray finds the dog park. Safe at last?

Not really. Puppy soon acquires an ardent admirer, the world's ugliest lady bulldog, who chooses him for her love interest. Assuming that the drooly toy mouse Puppy has been schlepping is a romantic offering, she snatches it. A bad scene ensues--and both dogs are hauled off to the doggy slammer while Uncle Murray is up a tree, protecting what remains of the seat of his pants.

In his latest, Bad Kitty: Puppy's Big Day (Roaring Brook Press, 2015), author-illustrator Nick Bruel has a fine time spoofing the I'm-in-the-Jailhouse-Now scene at the pound, adding a grizzled old Llasa Apso lifer named Gramps and a stir-crazy chihuahua called Hercules, until Uncle Murray finally appears to bail out Puppy. All's well that ends well, with old-softy Uncle Murray adopting the three pound pooches, and when the slimy toy mouse Puppy has carried all the way turns out to be Bad Kitty's lost Mousey-mouse, peace is finally restored at the Bruel/Bad Kitty household and Puppy is (temporarily, we presume) Bad Kitty's best friend.

Along with his full-format picture books, Nick Bruel's latest beginning chapter book, done in comic graphic novel style, is a fine addition to the prodigious Bad Kitty series. Bruel's slapstick sight-gags never fail to crack up youngsters, but his visual and verbal humor is so slyly sophisticated that even grownups find these books sidesplitting read-alouds. As usual, Bruel includes "informational" sections" ("Kitty's Horrible But True Facts About Dogs") on such natural questions as to why dogs must be walked (and cats don't), why dogs lick people's faces (and cats don't), and why dogs sniff butts (and cats don't) that will elicit equal measures of gagging and giggles from young readers.

"As always, Bruel's writing is hilarious, and his excellent illustrations make the story complete. Bad Kitty fans will enjoy this volume immensely," adds School Library Journal.

For more Bad Kitty tales, read my earlier reviews here.

No Tiptoe Through the Catnip! Bad Kitty Goes on Vacation by Nick Bruel

"I WON! I WON! I WON!

I WON!

A FREE TRIP TO SOME PLACE CALLED LOVE LOVE ANGEL KITTY WORLD!"

Uncle Murray is on a roll! A free vacation! What a deal!

But Uncle Murray is not the only one. Bad Kitty springs wide awake from her catnap.

BOI-OI-OING!

Bad Kitty has got to go! She's read all the Love Love Angel Kittyy books.

She's got all the merch... including the Love Love Angel Kitty World toilet seat and matching underpants!

But when he agrees to take Bad Kitty along on his all-expense-paid vacation, it's no walk in the catnip park. When Uncle Murray shows up at the airport, he learns that cats are not allowed unless they are in a cat carrier. When he reappears with bleeding wounds and Bad Kitty finally inside a carrier, he's informed that the carrier must fit under the passenger's seat. There's quite a disagreement at that point, and Uncle Murray decides to take the gate agent's suggestion and drive to Love Love Angle Kitty World, where they arrive three days later, only to learn that Kitty World doesn't allow... cats.

It's no more Mr. Nice Guy for Uncle Murray as he disguises Bad Kitty as his son Murray, Jr., who unfortunately is only tall enough for one ride--The Tunnel of Love Love Angel Kitty Love!

After fourteen rides through the tunnel featuring every terrible Kitty Love tunnel tune, Uncle Murray needs some sustenance--a foot-long salami sandwich, only to discover that the only food on the menu is Love Love Angel Kitty pizza....!, and Wait! His money is gone and his credit card is maxed out

and... it's off to the Love Love Angel Kitty World Hoosgow for the two of them. . ., where he realizes that he has run a-fowl of the gangsta cabal of evil roosters who control not only the entire Love Love Angel Kitty World franchise but the entire legal system of the states in which they operate, and . . .

Well, you get the idea! This is another of Nick Bruel's hilarious graphic novels starring Bad Kitty and Co., in Bad Kitty Goes On Vacation (Graphic Novel) (Roaring Brook Press, 2020). All's well that ends well with Bad Kitty and his weird feline friends delivering to Uncle Murray a foot-long salami sandwich and a tape of his favorite TV series, Bowling for Salami. The comic author-illustrator Nick Bruel provides his famous feline character and human associates in a funny series of take-off tropes on mass transportation and crooked theme park operators which are as sharp as a cat's claw, complete with words and music to the "Love Love Angel Kitty Theme Song."

Easy and silly enough for most primary-grade readers, Bruel's latest in this New York Times best-selling series is perhaps even more chuckle-inducing for the adults who read it aloud to them.

Heaven Can Wait! Bad Kitty Goes to the Vet by Nick Bruel

Bad Kitty is just not her feisty self.

KITTY LOOKS TERRIBLE. SHE LOOKS TIRED. SHE LOOKS UNHAPPY. SHE DOES NOT LOOK HEALTHY AT ALL.

AND WORST OF ALL. . . KITTY IS JUST NOT EATING HER FOOD.

When Bad Kitty says "Feh" and goes off her feed, it's time for a trip to the... (horrors) VET. Going to the vet is just below Getting A Bath on Kitty's NOT TO DO list.

But like the proverbial recipe for rabbit stew (first catch the rabbit), there is that little matter of capturing Kitty and confining her in the cat carrier! Her owner suits up in haz mat gear, but even that is not protective enough. There's nothing left for it but to toss Kitty's beloved toys in the carrier and stuff Puppy in with them. Kitty decides she's going in... and Puppy is coming out.

YIP! YIP! YIP!

Yep, Puppy sacrifices a little epidermis for the cause, but at last Kitty is caged and it's off to Dr. Katmeister, where he diagnoses her malady as a bad tooth which has to come out. Doc scruffs her into submission and administers a hypodermic of something that puts her in Kitty La La Land.

Kitty goes KERFLOP and she's out for the count. ... Maybe too far out...

COME ON, KITTY! JOURNEY THROUGH THE CAT DOOR FROM YOUR WORLD INTO THE NEXT!

STAND YE ON LINE, KITTY, FOR TODAY IS YOUR DAY OF JUDGMENT!

HELLO, KITTY. NOT THE MOST IMAGINATIVE NAME, BUT NEVER MIND.

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU NEVER MADE IT OUT OF THE VET'S OFFICE. SORRY TO HEAR THAT.

But when St. Pete pages through the Book of Cat Life, he finds Bad Kitty has a dismal history of mistreating Puppy! It looks like she has not earned an endless kitty buffet in Pussycat Paradise. Instead, it seems she's doomed to Puppydog Paradise, where she will be chased for eternity by drooling dogs. But the Archangel has mercy on Kitty's case.

SIGH. I GET IT, KITTY. THESE DOGS, THEY REALLY ARE A GROSS, ANNOYING BUNCH OF SLOBBERING NINCOMPOOPS!

There's one last chance. Her judge grants her a reprieve of twenty-four hours to do one selfless and kind deed for Puppy. Can Bad Kitty come through and earn her ticket to unlimited carpets to claw and endless quality cardboard boxes?

Not to worry, Bad Kitty fans, for our favorite bad cat is back to stay, in Nick Bruel's latest, Bad Kitty Goes to the Vet (Roaring Brook Press, 2016). As always, this author-illustrator is in top cartoon form portraying his wayward feline curmudgeon with both affection and comic elan. Bruel's brilliant beginning chapter books have that genius touch of sly humor and sophisticated satire of familiar tropes that make them irresistible page turners for young readers while giving grownups great guffaws as well.

My judgment? It's Bad Kitty FOREVER!

For more of Bad Kitty, read my reviews here.

Letter-Perfect: A Bad Kitty Christmas by Nick Bruel

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
AND ALL THROUGH THE CITY,

NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING...
EXCEPT FOR BAD KITTY.

Tumbled trash cans in a littered, snow-covered alley, a tiny black cat encircled by rats--how did that scamp of a Bad Kitty wind up in such a situation on Christmas Eve?

It all begins on a dark pre-Christmas morn when Bad Kitty's beleaguered owner is awakened to a clatter downstairs.

THAT'S WHEN I FOUND KITTY
IN THE MIDST OF HER CAPER.
SHE'D TORN THROUGH THE GIFTS
AND WAS COVERED WITH PAPER.

It's a Kitty catastrophe, in alphabetical order, no less. The decked halls have been besieged, besmirched, and de-decked!

THE MANGER WAS MAULED.
THE NUTCRACKER NAILED.
THE ORNAMENTS OUSTED,
THE POINSETTIA WAS PAILED.

It seems Bad Kitty was displeased with her Yuletide haul, preferring an alphabetical list of critters from Apes and Bears to Yak fried with Zebra Tail.

Bad Kitty is admonished and scolded and made to feel guilty for her greed, but after a grueling cleanup, with a still grouchy Kitty and the ever clueless, ever-drooling Puppy in the backseat, Kitty's overwhelmed owner sets forth for the annual Christmas Eve visit with Uncle Murray. Still miffed, Bad Kitty launches herself out the window and disappears down the darkling mean streets, and it looks like she will be spending the night before Christmas (and many nights to follow) in an alley with only rats for company.

But lucky Kitty. An old woman notices her plight and scoops her up to take home for the night.

I'LL TAKE YOU UPSTAIRS
TO DRY OFF YOUR FUR.
"WOULD YOU LIKE SOME FOOD?
AND THIS KITTY SAID--
"PURR!"

In her shabby one-room flat, the old woman splits her Yuletide can of sardines with Kitty, and sitting with her beside her tiny table-top tree, she pulls out her album and shares her warm memories of Christmas past with Kitty, as well as a bit of her well-earned wisdom:

"LITTLE CAT, THIS IS WHAT
CHRISTMAS SHOULD BE.
IT'S NOT ABOUT STUFF FROM
A BIG SPENDING SPREE.

CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT ... FAMILY.

But unbeknown to Bad Kitty, there is someone--someone from her family--with the right stuff to sniff out her trail and bring her home on Christmas Eve to her own long-suffering family. It's Puppy, who bravely followed her out the car window and has been resolutely tracking her down through the snow, right to the old woman's door.

It's a Happy Christmas to all in Nick Bruel's top-selling new picture book, A Bad Kitty Christmas (Roaring Brook Press, 2011). There's no kitty like Bad Kitty, and here she returns in a full-sized picture book format in all her comic cat glory. There are hilarious illustrations of Kitty and Puppy, a sly spoof of the old "Night Before Christmas" story, three awesome abecedariuses in rollicking rhyme interspersed in the text, and a sweet story--one of malicious mischief, a prodigal pussycat, remorseful redemption, and family found--by the close of this one, with to all a good night after all.

Take this Kitty home for Christmas!

But don't just take it from me. As you may have noticed, I'm an unabashed Bad Kitty fan, but I'm not the only one. As Kirkus Reviews writes, “A witty and original take on the old Christmas Eve chestnut, with a sweet twist to season the fun.” PURRRR!

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.

Monster Anxiety! Bad Kitty Scaredy Cat by Nick Bruel

Back in her first summer, when Bad Kitty was a kitten, she was audacious... brave...courageous... dauntless, even... fearless.. and kittenishly loopy, and muddled (but never mind those lapses). She was one tough kitty, a take-on-the-world kitty. Until... HALLOWEEN. It began with the doorbell

Ding Dong! Out of the darkness and into her doorway appeared the most horrible and frightening creatures Kitty had ever seen! TRICK OR TREAT! She saw... an Awful Alien, a Bizarre Bigfoot and a Creepy Clown....

On and on they came out of the night--ectoplasms, Frankensteins, even Uncle Murray borrowing candy, a parade of horrors, right down to a yeti and a zombie, made even more horrible by their relentlessly abnormal alphabetical order Bad Kitty freaked out! Gone was the carefree, casual, ever plucky Kitty!

She was a very, very scared, SCARED, SCARED little kitty.

Is the Bold and Brazen Bad Kitty gone forever? Or will Bad Kitty rally to Clobber the Clown, Flatten the Frankenstein, Maul the Mummy, and Whack the Werewolf? What do you think? Uncle Murray the Moocher hasn't got a chance in Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty Scaredy-Cat (Roaring Brook, 2019). Halloween hath no horrors compared to a Reconstituted Bad Kitty in which author-illustrator Bruel returns to the alliterative, alphabetizing wordplay wizardry born back in 2013 in his first best-selling picture book, Bad Kitty, There are many lovely and lovable kitty cats in literature, but only one Bad Kitty! Says Kirkus Reviews, "An origin story―-and alphabet practice and vocabulary stretcher―-for Bad Kitty's fans."

Catamorphosis! Bad Kitty: Camp Daze by Nick Bruel

WOOF!  BARK!  WOOF!  BARK!

KITTY! STOP THAT!

Ever since Kitty got hit in the head by her food dish in a game between Baby and Puppy, she's been acting like a dog. Her ears flop forward. Her tail curls up. Her tongue laps out of her mouth and she pants excitedly. She growls. She barks at the mailman. She chews up the mail. And she wants to play chase with Puppy constantly.

Poor Puppy is too pooped to play. Kitty begs.

WHINE! WHINE! WHINE!

Kitty! Don't whine! Since when did you start whining? Play with Baby!"

Puppy collapses in his bed, exhausted.

Nobody but Baby has figured it out.

"KIDDY DOG!" she says.

"No, Baby. Kitty is a cat."

"KIDDY NO CAD! KIDDY DOG! KIDDY DOG!!"

The head of household decides that what Poor Puppy needs is a few restful days at a dandy camp for dogs, run by (who else) Uncle Murray. Kitty howls in dismay, but Puppy can't wait to escape his new playmate. But Kitty Dog is clever enough to stow away in Puppy's duffel bag. And though she fails the sniff test, her WOOF passes muster with the other canine campers. Uncle Murray launches into a pep talk aimed at raising morale.

You guys are really on edge. That's why you're out here, in nature with no stress, and especially no--

CATS!

Kitty Dog fakes it pretty well, until she fails the Fido fetch tryouts, sustaining repeated tossed bones to the head which set off a series of multiple personality changes.

BONK! WOOF! BONK! MEOW? BONK! WOOF? BONK! MEOW?

Dog camp is a HOWL with Kitty carrying off her counterfeit canine identity well until she and Uncle Murray find themselves eyeball to eyeball in a standoff with a bear, at which time Kitty's inner cougar comes through--thanks to the mystical materialization of Bastet, Egyptian patron goddess of cats.

It's a case of I AM CAT! HEAR ME ROAR!

ME-OW!

Bad Kitty comes through once more, in Nick Bruel's latest in his best-selling beginner chapter book series, Bad Kitty Camp Daze (Roaring Brook Press, 2018). Author Nick Bruel Cartoonist Nick handles the transmogrifications of Kitty from cat to dog and back again comically and capably, with Bad Kitty at last happily exchanging her camp tent for her comfy cat bed, still trying to catch her daily 22-hour catnap. School Library Journal finds this latest Bad Kitty book doggone good, saying "A seamless melding of text and illustrations. A must-have for early chapter book readers."

Bad Kitty Returns! Poor Puppy by Nick Bruel

Although Nick Bruel's just-published picture book is titled Poor Puppy, the star of the show is Bad Kitty, a scrawny, scraggly she-cat (see my review of Bad Kitty posted April 1, 2007) who has no desire to play with poor Puppy, a clumsy, clueless mutt who pants to play chase with the cat of the house.

But not to worry. Bruel provides an alphabetical list of alternative playthings for Puppy--Airplanes, Balls, Cars, Dolls, Electric trains (with Kitty glaring balefully from inside the railroad tunnel)--but, "ME-double OW!" not Old cat toys from under the sofa! Now Puppy has gone too far, and as Puppy plays his way through the rest of the alphabet (Wind-Up Toys, BoXes of crayons, Yo-yos, and Zoo animals), Bruel shows Kitty, little left fang in sight, plotting a cat-toy takeover.

Pooped by his playtime, Puppy drops into dreamland, where his reveries are all about playing with Kitty, in alphabetical order (naturally), from Applebobbing in Antarctica, through Limbo in London (with a Beefeater guard holding one end of the stick) and Sprinting (from the Pamplona bulls) in Spain. As Puppy snoozes, we see Kitty stalking stealthily, belly to the ground, on a marauding mission to recapture her catnip mouse from Puppy's paws.

Alas for Kitty! When she snatches the mouse, Puppy awakes and, ironically, after Kitty's aloof act, finally gets his wish to chase Kitty to his heart's content.

Poor Puppy gives the reader another chance to root for an unlikely heroine, a good cat-bad cat character who is as charming as she is conniving. Bruel's drawings of his scruffy little feline are a delight. I'd love to see more of Bad Kitty from Nick Bruel.

'S No Way! Bad Kitty Does NOT Like Snow by Nick Bruel

KITTY DOES NOT KNOW

WHAT SNOW IS.

Like all the other savvy cats do, Kitty repairs to her laptop and her favorite search engine--FOOGLE.

What is snow? FOOGLE's display says it's wet, cold, slippery, and soft.

SOFT is good.

Bad Kitty gets all her winter gear on--scarf and knit cap--and ventures out to test FOOGLE's accuracy.

It's cold, all right. It's wet, check. MEH!

Bad Kitty steps out onto the sidewalk.

Whoops! Kitty's keister confirms the bad news. Snow = Slippery.

But--it is soft! It's so soft that Bad Kitty sinks over her head in the snow bank.

ME-OWWW!

It's Phooo-ey on FOOGLE and a big, fat NO to the snow, in Nick Bruel's fast and funny Bad Kitty Does Not Like Snow: Includes Stickers (Roaring Brook Press), as Bad Kitty decides there's no way she's going out again until the snow is gone. Nick Bruel's cartooning is spot on in this one, as our last view of Bad Kitty shows her thawing out in her basket beneath four quilts, wearing her version of a winter hat--a hot water bottle. Bad Kitty is in fine fettle in her own snow story--AND... there are pages of stickers inside.

Invasion! Bad Kitty Kitten Trouble by Nick Bruel

BONK!

Kitty doesn't like that kid who delivers the newspapers.

Every day, the same thing--he interrupts her nap on the porch, bonking her on the head with the newspaper, and then he rides off on his bike saying, "SORRY, CAT!"

But the newsboy is soon to be the least of Bad Kitty's problems. What's in the news is bad news--CONFLICT GROWING!

Her kindly owner explains.

"The fighting has gotten so bad in that neighborhood--even the cat shelters have been destroyed! The kittens are all scared. They're hungry and have no place to go.

There are oodles of KITTENS who have lost their homes. We should bring some of them HERE."

This is not good news for Bad Kitty. She is not pleased with the humanitarian effort. The refugee kittens play with her toys. They nap in her bed. They eat her cat chow. They even use her litter box!

Kitty pitches a cat fit. One of them doesn't even speak English!

"Sacre bleu! Le Monstre!"

Sent to stay with Uncle Murray, Kitty takes to her bed, where she is beset by a very bad dream, one is which legions of Uncle Murrays battle with each other and destroy her happy home and her peaceful neighborhood. Suddenly, she feels some compassion for the homeless kittens,

All's well that ends well, with an end to the hostilities, in which the displaced kittens have a safe return to their home neighborhood. One even expresses her gratitude to Bad Kitty.

Au revoir, cher Kitty. Merci, merci, merci."

In Nick Bruel's latest in his popular series, Bad Kitty: Kitten Trouble (Roaring Brook, 2018), even Bad Kitty and the newspaper kid discover the roots of their old feud and decide to give peace a chance. As always, Bruel's cartoon graphics are filled with hilarious sight gags that will keep beginning chapter book readers giggling and turning the pages in the latest in his perennially best-selling series that even grownups love. (See more here.)

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!

Just Among Friends: What's Your Favorite Animal? by Eric Carle and Friends

It's a challenge thing. Imagine a Saturday-afternoon barbecue on Eric Carle's deck, with a bunch of his picture-book buddies, all sitting around yakking. All of his guests have awesome chops, agreed, so the old guy tosses out a challenge in the form of a seemingly innocuous question.

What's YOUR favorite animal?

Dean of American picture book art Eric Carle has assembled quite a guest list: Nick Bruel, Lucy Cousins, Susan Jeffers, Steven Kellogg, Jon Klaasen, Tom Lichtenheld, Peter McCarty, Chris Raschka, Peter Sis, Lane Smith, Erin Stead, Rosemary Wells, and Mo Willems. Between them are enough shiny awards and best-sellers to collapse Carle's deck.

Carle kicks off the challenge with his own charming story of his fave, named Fifi, a black cat who loved to play fetch with raw green beans, keeping some spares stowed in a shoe in case her master chose asparagus for dinner.

Tom Lichtenheld posits the giraffe, with his head in the clouds,  reciting a limerick inspired by the love of giraffes, ending with "How's the weather up there?"

Mo Willems' declares his choice is  the Amazonian Neotropical Lower River Tin Tink and provides a drawing of a very big snake, apparently of the python persuasion, with an enormous lump inside in what must be its stomach.  Is that snake the Tink Tink? Well, no, but...

"It was the snake's favorite animal."

Next, Nick Bruel tries to nominate the octopus as his choice, but is interrupted by his own black cat character, Bad Kitty, who pointedly turns her back on him.

"Okay, Kitty. What's the problem?

I see. You're jealous because I chose the octopus instead of a cat?

No? Hmmm. Oh, now I get it. You're angry because I was asked, and not you.

Okay, Kitty. What's YOUR favorite animal?

MEATLOAF!!!???"

The rest of the guests rise to the challenge of can-you-top-this in their own inimitable styles of art and narration.  Susan Jeffers provides a pair of fabulous, fairy tale white steads with wildly waving manes and tails with a rococo curlicued caption, HORSES. Stephen Kellogg sketches his trademark cute and comic cow, and Erin Stead provides Emperor penguins posing majestically. Lucy Cousins posits an expressionistic leopard leaping against a glowing red background.

It's an embarrassment of riches, with these famed illustrators doing what they do best, in What's Your Favorite Animal? (Henry Holt and Company, 2014) by Eric Carle and Friends. Not since Dial's 2006 compendium, Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?, has such an assemblage even been attempted, and Carle curates this collection of superstars to produce a incredible salute to the present crop of artists at the high point of picture book design which they represent. Each artist's section is itself a mini-story illustrated in signature style, some funny, some lovely, some quirky, and some wondrous. An appealing appendix offers thumbnail childhood snapshots of each of the artists with his or her pet and brief autobiographical sketches.

For kids who like to tell stories by drawing, this book is a catalog of creativity that is bound to inspire. With proceeds from the sale of this book going to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, this one is both a delightful read and a tribute to the work of these famed artisans.  With rave reviews all around for carrying off this difficult tour de force, Publishers Weekly sums it up: "A varied and engaging omnibus that offers real insight into the lives and personalities of these artists."