The Ones That Got Away

Being a first-round Cybils judge has been an eye-opening experience. Reading a year's worth of easy readers and early chapter books in a concentrated time span proved that cream truly rises to the top. Unfortunately there was more cream than slots on the short list. That meant that some of my favorite chapter books didn't make the final cut. So here are the books I wish could have been shoehorned in, with links to my reviews.

Bad Kitty Meets the Baby

Marty McGuire

No. 1 Car Spotter

Toys Come Home

Bad Kitty Meets the Baby

Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty books just keep getting funnier. His latest is a howl and is sure to go over big with the elementary school crowd. Bad Kitty has been through a lot in this series. She's suffered through a bath, her birthday, and living with Puppy. In the last book, she endured the care of Uncle Murray, the pet sitter. But nothing, I repeat, nothing has prepared her for the arrival of Baby. When Bad Kitty's owners bring home their newly adopted daughter and plunk her down beside the terrified feline, Bad Kitty can't fathom what this strange creature might be. She ultimately decides the drooling, smelly, noisy creature must be a dog.

The neighborhood cats disagree. They're convinced Baby is actually a cat and hold the Pussycat Olympics to celebrate her arrival. The cats compete in the STARE-AT-YOURSELF-IN-A-MIRROR-UNTIL-YOU-GET-BORED competition, the BABBLING-ON-AND-ON-WITHOUT-STOPPING event, the WHO-CAN-CREATE-THE-BIGGEST-STINK event, and THE-EATING-CONTEST. Baby is the undisputed champion in all four, causing Bad Kitty to have a fit of epic proportions. What will it take for Bad Kitty to accept her new nemesis?

Bruel's maniacal black-and-white illustrations go hand-in-hand with the text's wackiness, adding extra bits of fun to compliment the story. Uncle Murray's Fun Facts return and readers (including this one) will learn why cats are experts at climbing trees but not getting back down , as well as some hints on how to teach a cat tricks. Good luck with that one. The only trick my two cats have learned is to come at the sound of a cat food can popping open.

Bad Kitty Meets the Baby is the best in the series, in my humble opinion. Can't wait to see what Bad Kitty's next adventure will be.

Bad Kitty Meets the Baby
by Nick Bruel
Roaring Brook Press, 144 pages
Published: June 2011