You think you have a problem pet that rules your roost? Get a load of this quintessential bad kitty, a sleek, black, rowdy ruffian who is none too happy about getting a bath. OK, that’s an understatement. Usually, Kitty licks herself clean, though we see her going overboard here, licking herself for hours, and then hukking up a Herculean hairball. But sometimes, every now and again (like when Poor Puppy chases her across the page and out the door and into the path of a falling garbage can filled with fish bones and banana peels), Kitty needs a real bath. Uh, oh. Stated in huge letters, on page 29 of this deadpan illustrated instructional manual, is this important statement: “The first lesson that all pet owners must learn is that “CATS HATE BATHS.” (Those three words take up a whole page.) Just in case you prefer learning from pictures rather than words, there’s an equation provided in picture form on the next page: Bad Kitty + Dripping Faucet=NUCLEAR EXPLOSION. In the four uproarious chapters, each of which will make your gut ache from all the belly laughing, you’ll find lots of practical information and advice. There are pages of Uncle Murray’s Fun Facts, including one that provides labeled drawings of the items you will need for Kitty’s bath (including cat shampoo, brush, dry towels, suit of armor, and an ambulance in the driveway with the engine running); and a glossary of common cat sounds and their meanings (including MEOWR REOWR FFT!, which means “Unless you’re really tired of living, please respect that I am in a really bad mood.”).
Themes: CATS. DOGS. HUMOR.
You think you have a problem pet that rules your roost? Get a load of this quintessential bad kitty, a sleek, black, rowdy ruffian who is none too happy about getting a bath. OK, that’s an understatement. Usually, Kitty licks herself clean, though we see her going overboard here, licking herself for hours, and then hukking up a Herculean hairball. But sometimes, every now and again (like when Poor Puppy chases her across the page and out the door and into the path of a falling garbage can filled with fish bones and banana peels), Kitty needs a real bath. Uh, oh. Stated in huge letters, on page 29 of this deadpan illustrated instructional manual, is this important statement: “The first lesson that all pet owners must learn is that “CATS HATE BATHS.” (Those three words take up a whole page.) Just in case you prefer learning from pictures rather than words, there’s an equation provided in picture form on the next page: Bad Kitty + Dripping Faucet=NUCLEAR EXPLOSION. In the four uproarious chapters, each of which will make your gut ache from all the belly laughing, you’ll find lots of practical information and advice. There are pages of Uncle Murray’s Fun Facts, including one that provides labeled drawings of the items you will need for Kitty’s bath (including cat shampoo, brush, dry towels, suit of armor, and an ambulance in the driveway with the engine running); and a glossary of common cat sounds and their meanings (including MEOWR REOWR FFT!, which means “Unless you’re really tired of living, please respect that I am in a really bad mood.”).
You might have already been introduced to this hoodlum puss in the picture books Bad Kitty and Poor Puppy. This companion book is formatted like a little graphic novel, filled with lots of zany black and white illustrations. Starting in about third grade, teachers start talking about procedural (or how-to) writing, having their students compose step-by-step instructions, like how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or how to ride a bicycle. Bad Kitty will turn this assignment on its ear when you read aloud Chapter Three: How to Give Kitty a Bath. And, perhaps, if your children have pets (or siblings), they’ll want to write and illustrate some of the ways they deal with other problem activities like feeding and training.
Themes: CATS. DOGS. HUMOR.
