Today, I was at a relative's home and was ambushed by a small child who said that I had to read, "Bad Kitty Meets the Baby," by Nick Bruel. It is a children's book and is classified as a easy chapter book but it includes illustrations on practically every page. The book is published by Roaring Brook Press and the edition that I happened to lay my hands on was a Square Fish edition. My little relative was correct; the book is hilarious.
The story begins with, "In the beginning, there was Kitty." Yes, I noticed the similarity to the Genesis narrative, but it set quite a funny tone for the book, because the next event to happen to Kitty is the appearance of Puppy into her life. This leads to traumatic times for our dear little Kitty until she gets used to him. Then one day, the pet owners go away for a few days, leaving Kitty and Puppy in the care of Uncle Murray. By the time the owners return, Uncle Murray is a frazzled mess, and the pets are now confronted with what Kitty thinks is the new dog because it drools and reminds her too much of Puppy. The neighbourhood kitties think that the newcomer is just another kitty. However, what the owners have actually done is that they have adopted a baby into the family.
Because the cats think that the baby is actually a kitty herself, they invite New Kitty to participate in the Pussycat Olympics which consists of events such as the STARE-AT-YOURSELF-IN-A-MIRROR-UNTIL-YOU-GET-BORED and WHO-CAN-CREATE-THE-BIGGEST-STINK competitions. Who will win the Pussycat Olympics? Will Kitty and New Kitty get over their adversarial roles and become friends?
As I mentioned before, the book is quite funny. I laughed at how Uncle Murray's pet sitting week turned out. Here's a hint: it involves the pets, a tree, a fridge and several calls to the fire department. Interspersed throughout the book, we can also read Uncle Murray's Fun Facts about how to deal with a cat stuck in a tree. Near the end of the book is a short appendix of some cat tricks (how to get a cat to come/sit/shake paws/sit up/beg). An interview with the author and a brief preview of another book in the series, "Bad Kitty for President," are also included.
This book could probably be placed in the humour section of a bookstore, but that's just my opinion. I finished this in less than an hour, with interruptions from the little book critic who pointed out some parts of the story that she found funny. I appreciated the wit that I found in the writing style and must say that I'm now interested in reading the rest of the books in this series even though I'm no longer six or seven years old.
