Picture Book Pick: Naughty Kitty!

Naughty Kitty!
by Adam Stower
Orchard Books
2014
40 pages
ISBN: 9780545576048

visit the author's sketchbook

Heartwarming, heavenly  and hilarious, Naughty Kitty! will tickle little readers' funny bones! Lily wanted a new pet and her first choice was a dog, but her mother said no to that. Lily ends up with a cute kitten who seems nice and fluffy enough, but trouble is brewing in this household and it's just around the corner.

 Readers may catch on from a newspaper peeking out of the mother's handbag on the first pages. Before the appearance of big trouble, the paper sits on the kitchen table and alert readers will see a glimpse of what appears to be a large jungle cat at the back door. Lily's back is turned as she leaves the room so she doesn't spot him.

Animals  have escaped from a nearby zoo. When a wild  visitor gets into the house and eats cake from the counter, trashes the kitchen, and rips the living room chairs, Lily blames the only suspect, little, tiny Kitty. The tiger causes even more trouble when he lays on all the beds and leaves a stinky mess. Lily never realizes the true culprit. Young readers will laugh as they see an escaped tiger who is causing all the trouble. They will probably point out the tiger and wonder why doesn't Lily see him. Poor little Kitty takes the blame and shame, and Lily is none the wiser.

Illustrations by the author make Kitty come to life. Kitty is absolutely captivating: his blissful smile as Lily hugs him, his look of surprise to see wild animals in the back yard, his shameful look when Lily discovers the mess in the kitchen--make Kitty a real character with personality.

From the cover: Naughty Kitty! is, "...for anyone who has been blamed for something they did not do."

Highly, highly recommended for all young readers and pet lovers. Naughty Kitty! is an entertaining read and is sure to cause smiles all around.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher.  I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Book Giveaway: Fraidy Zoo

I have FIVE copies of this amazing and amusing new debut book by Thyra Heder. I found it charming and ingenious. Clever writing and witty, winsome illustrations will amaze young readers. Children will love guessing what animal Little T's parents and sister are trying to act out. This is an alphabet book, but so much, much more. This is the best children's book I've read in years. Kudos to Thyra Heder. This one's a winner!



Fraidy Zoo
by Thyra Heder
Abrams
2013
48 pages

See praise from the publisher's website:



Praise for Fraidyzoo
STARRED REVIEWS
"WARNING: Expect riotous buffoonery after reading this clever and original alphabet story, as kids will definitely want to “parrot” the examples."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Debut talent Heder comes up with a wildly imaginative idea for an alphabet book/animal guessing game, elaborates it with smartly drafted ink-and-watercolor spreads, and seasons it with plenty of family warmth and hullaballoo."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The cut-and-paste, handmade look and feel of this picture book underscores its thematic ode to creative problem solving... The charming, detailed watercolor and ink illustrations really tell the story, and children will relish poring over them to guess the animal costumes and identify their construction materials."
—School Library Journal

"Heder tells a child-relevant story about facing your fears with a light hand and zippy prose, but it’s her art that dials the zippiness up to 11, as her warm and humorously realistic figures gallivant alongside some remarkably envisioned handcrafted animal puppets."
—Booklist

"This book does the impossible, taking one of the oldest children’s book conventions, the zoo alphabet, and completely reinventing it. It’s a story about a family helping one of their own overcome fear by being utterly silly and completely loving. The whole thing is done with such a confident and lively style, it’s hard to believe that this is Heder’s first picture book. Fraidyzoo is funny, original, and announces Heder as a force to be reckoned with."
—The Atlantic Wire

For your chance to win a copy, post a comment to the blog and be sure and include your first name, city, state and email contact. Deadline for posts is December 16 at noon MST. Winners will be notified on that date; please check your email. Winners are selected randomly by Randomizer. Winners have 24 hours to respond to my email. Books will ship from New York courtesy of Abrams.

Good luck and start posting! Pamela