From Publishers Weekly
The scrawny, supercilious feline from
Bad Kitty is back and—
quel surprise!—has no interest in playing with guileless, gangly Puppy, who appeared at the end of that title and takes center stage here. Poor Puppy, Bruel writes. Poor, poor Puppy. Poor, poor, poor, poor,
poor Puppy! The book then becomes a counting/alphabet book to demonstrate that Puppy isn't really poor—in fact he has many playthings at his disposal: 1 Airplane, 2 Balls, 3 Cars and so on. But Puppy still wants to play with Kitty, and as he falls asleep, the book takes another trip through the alphabet—and through the world—as Puppy dreams of 26 fun activities and locales he'd like to share with his best friend Kitty: Apple Bobbing in Antarctica, Baseball in Brazil, Checkers in Canada, etc. Unfortunately, Bruel's usually sharp sense of humor is not as evident in this sequel. The alphabet-driven catalogues of
Bad Kitty were funny because they pushed the boundaries of probability when it came to Kitty's sociopathic tendencies, her favorite foods and her equally hyperbolic acts of redemption. But despite Bruel's colorful visual treatment of the physical activity here, the vignettes often feel inert. Even the wittiest moments—such as Puppy and Kitty playing Patty-cake in Peru—may generate fewer laughs than Kitty's previous comedic nefariousness.
Bad Kitty fans will want to take note of a new cat-nipped edition of that title (with a pair of large bite marks, courtesy of Kitty), due out the same month. Ages 4-up.
(Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Bruel, who made a splash with Bad Kitty (2005), a funfest disguised as an alphabet book, follows a similar pattern in this story of Kitty's best friend, Puppy. Puppy longs to play, but Kitty's acting like, well, a cat. Poor, poor, poor, poor, POOR Puppy! What follows are pages of colorful boxes showing Puppy, left to his own devices, cavorting with 1 Airplane . . . 4 Dolls . . . 19 Soccer Balls . . . 22 Valentines . . . 26 Zoo Animals. Among the funniest pictures is one of Puppy dealing with eight Hula Hoops as Kitty runs in the other direction. If this hysterical crush of numbers and letters isn't enough, the action evolves into wordplay when Puppy, still lonely, dreams about playing with Kitty. They hunt eggs on Easter Island, jump rope in Japan, and yodel in Yemen. Each colorful picture is crammed full of delicious detail; adults using the book with children will be able to come up with plenty of visual games to play. One choice—find Kitty, often hidden, in the first grouping. Cooper, Ilene
