That Bad, Bad Cat!

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.)