Customer Reviews

Fashion Kitty

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I must admit I felt trepidation about getting this book. My daughter is much younger than the intended audience. But. We love kid's graphic novels. And my kid has a strong sense of style. And we love funny stories. So, I got the book. And...we loved it!

Through a series of odd and unfortunate (and very amusing) events, fashion-forward nice girl Kiki kitty becomes superhero Fashion Kitty. With her new-found skills, she zones in on a girl who's about to make a "fashion faux pas": listening to the purposefully bad dressing suggestions of a popular cat in school. But Fashion Kitty shows the other kitty how to mix-and-match, and teaches the mean kitty a lesson she won't soon forget. All in day's work.

Others have pointed out this is a great choice for the reluctant reader, but it is also a good choice for someone stretching up into higher realms of reading. Aided by the charming drawings, the story goes by so quickly. And the message is great. Yes, there's sibling rivalry. And undeserved teasing. And a slave to the fashion magazines. But there's also a loving, supportive family. And a main character who knows right from wrong, fashion-wise and moral-wise. I loved how the story was about using clothes as an expression of your personality, not following some trend-based craze. When there are so many iffy messages out there for young girls, this deliciously quirky tale is a pure treat: it gives them what they want without exposing them to what you don't want.

I am a fourth grade teacher. My students love these books! They are great for kids who think they don't like to read. I have had more students learn to love reading with Fashion Kitty and Jeff Smith's Bone series.

Take a trip back in time with me to the halcyon days of 2005. A time when graphic novels for children were hardly as commonplace as they are today. Ah '05. Whatta year. I remember it well. At the time, I was searching in vain for above par graphic novels for kids to add to my very short list of library-worthy titles. There really wasn't much out there, but one name kept coming up over and over again. Something called "Fashion Kitty". Being the kind of girl that I am, I took one look at the book's sparkly cover, preference for all things pink, and use of the word "fashion" in the title, and promptly never thought of the book again. Until now. Recently my library purchased a large swath of graphic novels for young `uns and there, perched cheerily at the top of the pile, was Charise Mericle Harper's creation. I circled it warily and thought it might be safe to just flip through idly and call it a day. Flipping, however, began and ended on page three where I read the following line: "The FIRST reason the Kittie family is unusual is that a cat having a mouse for a pet is similar to a human having a chocolate cake for a pet." This sentence is immediately followed by the image of a boy leading a pink frosting-laden chocolate cake by a leash as he murmurs to it, "I love you, but I wish I could eat you!" I was hooked. I showed the book to my least graphic-novel-lovin' colleague. She was hooked. Even if you are no fan of fashion, kitties, or even comics in general, "Fashion Kitty", has the power to win over even the toughest of critics. Is it girly? Or lordy, yes. Is it fun? You bet your sweet bippy.

Right off the bat there are three things you need to know about the Kittie family. First of all, they own a pet mouse. Second, daughters Kiki and Lana get to pick out all their own clothes. Third, "The Kittie family knows the secret identity of Fashion Kitty." Fashion Kitty, as it happens, was born out of a potentially tragic accident involving a birthday wish, a rickety shelf, and some fashion magazines. From out of that toxic threesome emerged none other than Fashion Kitty herself with such super-powered elements as the "Tail of comfort", "Supersonic feet" and a brain that can "mix and match hundreds of outfits in a second". Thus, mild-mannered Kiki Kittie is now Fashion Kitty when she detects that someone is moving towards a fashion disaster. Take, for example, poor Mary Jane who was about to believe popular and cruel Priscilla Persian that everyone the next day would be wearing polka-dotted shorts over their pants. In the end, Kiki has a new lot (and outfit) in life, Mary Jane is redeemed, and Priscilla Persian gets what's coming to her.

Obviously the first thing people are going to say when they see "Fashion Kitty" is, "Boy, that looks a lot like the `Babymouse' books, doesn't it?" We're living in such a graphic novel-starved world that when two books involve a palette of pinks alongside an anthropomorphized heroine, we immediately equate the one with the other. "Babymouse", I should point out, is very different from her feline brethren. Where "Fashion Kitty" involves an actual superhero, the closest "Babymouse" ever gets to hero-dom is in her dreams. "Fashion Kitty" is wish-fulfillment and "Babymouse" is far more realistic. That doesn't make "Kitty" any less fun to read, however. I mean, Harper's sense of humor is really the book's saving grace. It would be remarkably simple to create a vapid fashion-entranced graphic novel for little girls without a drop of humor or sense of its own innate silliness. Harper's title, however, never takes its subject matter seriously. We're talking flying fashion-conscious cats here, people. So when Harper includes a montage of some boys who don't give "two hoots" about what they wear, you know it's gonna be good. I was also rather charmed by young Lana Kittie, who is the antithesis of her older sister's good sense. Lana is only four, so if she wants to wear stocking around her next, underpants on the outside of her pants, or three skirts in a row she's perfectly entitled to do so and it doesn't matter a jot.

Oddly enough, in spite of its September 2005 publication date, you won't be seeing the sequel to this book (entitled, "Fashion Kitty Verses the Fashion Queen") until May 2007. Most peculiar. Random House has been churning out the "Babymouse" books at least every 6 months. I wonder if Hyperion will try to follow suit when they see how profitable such a series might be. If you haven't yet found yourself with a copy of "Fashion Kitty" on hand, definitely consider giving it a glance. A fun GN and a rollicking good time.

I checked out this book from the library, and my 10 year old son and I read it before my 8 year old daughter (the intended audience) got her hands on it. All 3 of us enjoyed it. Before she got finished with it, my daughter was asking if there were more of them. We will be waiting anxiously for a new one. I'd recommend it for any reader who gets bogged down with chapter books, but even chapter book readers will enjoy it. I compare it to our son's delight with the Captain Underpants graphic novels. Easy to read and funny!

My 5 year old is on her third time through this book. She has enjoyed looking at the pictures on her own and having the book read to her twice while she helps with some of the smaller words. It has been a great way to get her involved in reading. She can't wait for the next Fashion Kitty book to come out!

I purchased this book for my 8 year old daughter. Getting her to read can sometimes be a chore so I was thrilled when I showed her this book and she could not put it down. It's funny for children and adults. She was chuckling to herself as she read. It's great because the language is not too easy but there are pictures to break things up for her. One of the biggest adjustments for emergent readers is the lack of pictures and getting used to that concept. I wish there were more of these books to buy and can't wait for another installment.

These graphic novels are a welcome addition for younger girls (K-3). My daughter likes these a lot. Fans of babymouse will also like Fashion Kitty!

When I took my (then) 2-year-old to the library and she saw this book just "sitting" on a table, she snatched it up and insisted on taking it home. After excessive renewals, my husband decided to surprise us with "our" own copy, being that neither my daughter nor I wanted to part with our newly found "fashion hero". It's been 2 years since, and now my daughter has moved on from just looking at the pictures to reading the basic words. Fahion Kitty is still a family favorite.

Note: The zeros were cast by a troll and her gang, not real and decent people, and are against me personally and not the book or the review!

Underneath all my sweet librarian's clothes and hairstyle lives a fire-breathing dragon, who was once a high school English teacher. The fire breath keeps shouting: "No graphic novels in this library! Make them read words!"

"But, Dragon," I say, "I continue to find books like 'Fashion Kitty,' and
Babymouse #1: Queen of the World!, and crossovers (more words than pictures) like Race Across America (Geronimo Stilton). I simply must add them to the library!" And so I do--the "I" being the (occasionally) sweet librarian.

"Fashion Kitty" is adorable. Created by Charise Mericle Harper, the book contains two things dear to the hearts of most girls: kitties and fashion! The wonderful thing about Fashion Kitty (KiKi Kittie) is that she helps those in need of help in fashion.

It begins this way. On her birthday, through a series of complicated, fated maneuvers, Kiki is hit on the head by a shelf full of fashion books. This knock-out blow is compounded by the fact that Kiki and her free-thinking little sister, Lana, are allowed to dress how they want. Lana is a hoot, wearing pantyhose one day as a scarf, then as a belt the next. When Fashion Kitty needs a disguise she borrows the pantyhose to wear over her face (see cover). The importance of family--and a happy family--is emphasized.

Well, that's enough of backstory. The second half shows Fashion Kitty helping two different girl kitties, one to avoid a fashion faux pas, the other to change an enemy into a friend. Obviously, one important theme is the importance of friendship.

The sketches are fairly simple (see cover), but colored in tints and shades of pink, gray, white, and black. Then there are eight full color, glossy pages which the reader cuts into thirds (as indicated by scissors) to flip through 24 outfits. Our school library has a Barbie book set up this way. Girls LOVE that book!

"Fashion Kitty" is a big hit in my library! The girls are clamoring for more Fashion Kitty. Great! More are on the way! Dragon tamed.