Bad Kitty

Starred review from October 17, 2005
With the alphabet as his jumping off point, Bruel (Boing!
) recounts just how far things can go awry when cats go bad. After Kitty discovers that the only food in the house consists of 26 kinds of vegetables (asparagus, beets, cauliflower and on through zucchini), her mood turns blacker than her scraggly fur coat. She unleashes her own alphabet of woe that will have youngsters howling with laughter (and cat owners young and old will understand that many of these scenarios do not require a total suspension of disbelief). Bruel chronicles the misbehavior by dividing the spreads into eight strips, each containing a kind of visual one-liner devoted to a single letter. "She... Q
uarreled with our neighbors," the author writes, as Kitty watches through the mail slot while a human holds a note that reads, "Meow Hiss Hiss...!" The furry protagonist even "Sold my toys" (Kitty seems to have appropriated her unseen owner's lemonade stand for this purpose). But when the humans restock the larder with cat-friendly food (rhino ravioli, shark sushi, etc.), the feline turns over a new leaf—in alphabetical fashion, of course. Even readers who've mastered their ABCs will laugh at Bruel's gleefully composed litanies and the can-you-top-this spirit that animates every page. Ages 4-8.

March 26, 2012
Bruel’s picture book—which is included with the audiobook—cycles through the alphabet four times, telling the story of an angry cat exacting revenge on her owners for feeding her vegetables. This audio version works well when paired with the print edition—without it, children might be confused why a word like “rhUbarb” is listed under U instead of under R. Included are three audio versions of the book: the first is narrated by Vanessa Williams; the second is essentially the same recording as the first, with children prompted to follow along and turn the page at the sound of a cat’s meow; and the third is a live recording of Bruel reading to a class of children. Williams proves to be an expressive, enthusiastic, and polished narrator, while Bruel’s reading is much livelier, but lacks the musical accompaniment, sound quality, and production values of the studio recording. It’s clear that Bruel enjoys reading to children as he occasionally breaks from the book to explain something they might not know: “Zinnias,” he says, “for all you city folks, is a type of flower.” Ages 4–8. A Square Fish paperback.

October 1, 2005
K-Gr 3 -This four-part alphabet book will appeal to youngsters who like their stories more naughty than nice. The tale opens with Kitty learning that her owners have run out of cat food and that her only options are healthy and nutritious edibles that run the gamut from -Asparagus - to -Zucchini. - She reacts by doing an A-to-Z list of mischievous things, like -claw[ing] the curtains - and -hurl[ing] hair balls at our heads. - When her owners return with food that ranges from -An Assortment of Anchovies - to -Baked Zebra Ziti, - Kitty realizes she must atone for her bad behavior with a final list of alphabetical deeds such as cleaning the cat box and washing the car. Some actions and items are a bit of a stretch, in particular -sQuashes - for -Q - and -rhUbarb - for -U. - While the story is packed with colorful cartoon illustrations that introduce each object, it is Kitty who steals the show with her slyly drawn feline expressions. Intended for slightly older alphabet-book fans, this offering will attract readers with a taste for the ridiculous." -Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2005
K-Gr. 2. Ostensibly about a cat that turns bad when her family runs out of her favorite food, this is really a clever alphabet book for kids old enough to appreciate the way words work. When a calm kitty overhears her owner say that healthy food is now on the menu, the high-energy artwork shows the cat in paroxysms of horror set against a series of blocks containing pictures of vegetables, alphabetically arranged from asparagus to zucchini. That's when Kitty decides to become Bad Kitty: she "ate my homework . . . hurled hair balls at our heads." Kitty changes again after her owner returns with an " A-Z" assortment of good, if peculiar, treats, some of which may give readers pause (a donkey named Dave). But Kitty is happy with them all, and to show her pleasure, she undoes all her bad actions--in alphabetical order. The cat, with seemingly dozens of expressions, is the star, but other aspects of the amusingly silly illustrations have equal weight. There's so much going on here that kids will find lots to laugh about.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2006
A good kitty goes bad when offered an alphabetic assortment of vegetables (asparagus to zucchini). How bad? "She...Ate my homework / Bit Grandma..." and finally "Zeroed the zinnias." But when she's fed properly (anchovies through zebra ziti), "she...Apologized to Grandma / Bought me new toys...." Bruel's energetic illustrations, which delight in this kitty's A-to-Z mood swings, ratchet up the humor.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)