June 1, 2002
Gr. 1. New readers will get a kick out of this simple yet amusing entry in the All Aboard Reading series, which has a story that is certain to be readily identifiable to anyone who owns a cat. Cat scratches the table, and he scratches the chair. The upset family's refrain is always the same: "Bad, bad cat." And so it goes as the cat eats the plants, tears the pillows, steals the food. Kelley's watercolor art shows some classic scenes--the cat hiding under the table with his nose buried in a cup cake as spilled milk drips on the floor. One day Cat escapes out the door, and when he doesn't reappear for dinner, the family searches for him: "Kitty! Darling! Sweetie!" They love him, they miss him, and when he comes back it doesn't matter how bad he is--even with his paw in the fish bowl. Short, simple sentences are packed with emotion; the pictures are full of fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2002
An unrepentant cat spills milk, eats plants, and performs other acts of feline destruction to a constant but ineffective chorus of "bad, bad cat!" His family worries when he strays from home one day; when he eventually returns, they welcome back their "good, bad cat." The story describes realistic cat behavior but lacks charm. The cartoonlike illustrations provide clues to help new readers decipher the text.
(Copyright 2002 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)