Monday, December 5, 2011

MONDAY: A Bad Kitty Christmas by Nick Bruel

Summary
A holiday alphabet book, starring Bad Kitty. Bad Kitty trashes the family's Christmas from "crushed cards" to "ousted ornaments." And Kitty wanted more - an ape, a bear, a gecko, a  horse, etc. In a temper, Kitty hops out of the car while on the way to Uncle Murray's, and she runs away. A old woman takes Kitty in where she learns to be content with what she has, and she misses her family. Puppy finds Bad Kitty and helps her find her way home.


Review
I have GOT to stop buying picture books without reading them in the store. More than once I have gotten the book home and discovered a part of it that will keep me from sharing it at school. Bad Kitty's Christmas story is such a story. 


The story is sweet, with three different alphabetical sections, and a great lesson about holiday spirit and thinking of others. The final alphabet section occurs when the old woman tells Kitty about her family including a cousin, Nan, with a "partner" named Pam.


4 out of 5 stars
AR level of 3.0


Recommended for: Bad Kitty fans, folks looking for fresh holiday stories, readers looking for books that recognize a variety of family types.


Cautions: Some families and settings may wish to skip this holiday story because of the reference to Nan and Pam's relationship. 

4 comments:

  1. I can't wait for this one to arrive at the library. At first it didn't appeal to me but then I heard some great things about it. I still have my doubts about it but will browse through it before reading it to my 4 yr old.

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  2. Debbie - I saw this article today on the book, too: http://mackids.squarespace.com/mackidssquarespacecom/2011/12/6/breaking-the-rules-with-bad-kitty.html

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  3. Omigosh do we love Bad Kitty in our house! I have Bruel's other book, "Boing!", which was age-perfect for my son at the time (great book for the 2-3 yr old set). Now Bad Kitty is out and my son is now 4 1/2 and he had made us read it to him 3 times a night for the past 5 nights. So far, still fresh - even to the adults!

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