Bad Kitty Scaredy-Cat (Bad Kitty Picture Books)

An origin story—and alphabet practice and vocabulary stretcher—for Bad Kitty’s fans. (Picture book. 5-8)

Bruel's Bad Kitty is no shrinking violet, but Halloween has left her on edge: an alphabetical parade of frightening trick-or-treaters includes "an intimidating invisible man, a jarring jack-o-lantern, a killer kraken, a loathsome lion." In a series of manic panels that will be familiar to readers of the previous books, Bruel sends Bad Kitty through the alphabet four times in this outing--a new record?--including a play-by-play of Bad Kitty terrorizing the terrorizers ("She... injured the invisible man, jostled the jack-o-lantern, kicked the kraken, lambasted the lion"). Bruel continues to draw big laughs out of Bad Kitty's unrepentantly bad behavior while boosting readers' vocabularies--at least where Halloween costumes, candy, and violent revenge are concerned. Fans will also appreciate the return of Bad Kitty's sweet-natured foil, Puppy, who still has a knack for catching the ferocious feline off guard. Ages 5-8. (Aug.)

PreS-Gr 2--Bad Kitty, the character who reinvented cattitude, is back in time for Halloween. Bright pumpkin-orange endpapers frame the alphabet-focused tale of how Kitty became a scaredy-cat and how she recovers her courage with the help of 26 kinds of Halloween treats. We're first introduced to the formerly Angry, Brave, Clumsy, Daring, Energetic, Fearless cat who was transformed one All Hallows' Eve. Who can resist language like "one dark and foggy night, something terrible happened. Out of the darkness and into her doorway appeared the most horrible and frightening creatures Kitty had ever seen." (The dramatic language is entertainingly offset by illustrations of Kitty sprawling on top of a cheery, drooling Puppy.) And who were these creatures? A Monstrous Mummy, Noisy Neanderthal, Odious Ogre, Putrid Pirate--oh, they're so convincingly weird and wicked that Kitty has to hide her eyes and duck under the couch. But the reviving powers of apples, bubble gum, candy corn, dried fruit, and English toffee, all dropped by the aforementioned monsters, bring back the BAD in Bad Kitty, and readers can only feel sorry for the bemused trick-or-treaters whom she disrobes, if not dismembers. VERDICT Perfect for storytime or one-on-one sharing, this is a must-have addition for most holiday collections.--Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY