The hilarious pictures and text are bound to create lots of giggles among adults as well as children. Category: Concept; Humor; Read Aloud. Grade Level: Preschool; Primary (K-3rd grade). 2005, Roaring Book Press. Ages 3 to 9.

Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Dec. 15, 2005 (Vol. 102, No. 8))
Ostensibly about a cat that turns bad when her family runs out of her favorite food, this is really a clever alphabet book for kids old enough to appreciate the way words work. When a calm kitty overhears her owner say that healthy food is now on the menu, the high-energy artwork shows the cat in paroxysms of horror set against a series of blocks containing pictures of vegetables, alphabetically arranged from asparagus to zucchini. That's when Kitty decides to become Bad Kitty: she "ate my homework . . . hurled hair balls at our heads." Kitty changes again after her owner returns with an A-Z assortment of good, if peculiar, treats, some of which may give readers pause (a donkey named Dave). But Kitty is happy with them all, and to show her pleasure, she undoes all her bad actions--in alphabetical order. The cat, with seemingly dozens of expressions, is the star, but other aspects of the amusingly silly illustrations have equal weight. There's so much going on here that kids will find lots to laugh about. Category: Books for the Young--Fiction. 2005, Roaring Brook/Neal Porter, $15.95. K-Gr. 2.

Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
Bruel takes us on four trips through the alphabet as he tells the story of a cat who “wasn’t always a bad kitty.” But on the day when the family runs out of cat food, they offer her a “healthy and delicious” menu, beginning with Asparagus, Beets, and Cauliflower. As the list goes down the alphabet, as the only text, Kitty becomes ever more disgusted in the illustrations. By Zucchini, she has decided to be “very, very, bad, bad, BAD.” The next run from A to Z lists the terrible things she does, from Biting Grandma to Zeroing the Zinnias. But when good food arrives from the grocery, the happy cat can enjoy an Assortment of Anchovies on down to baked Zebra Zitti. She is then inspired to fix everything from Apologizing to Grandma to lulling the baby to sleep with “Zzzzzzz.” Then there is a surprise ending. The visual details are in the mini-scenes, usually four to a page, painted in a simplified, humorous style. The emotions are clear in the cat’s facial expressions and body movements displayed on all pages, sometimes accompanied by side remarks like “Yipe!” or “Oh No!” in big black letters. Inventive situations provide laughs along with ABCs. 2005, A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press, $15.95. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 18))
She may be a "bad bad BAD Kitty," but she's the star of an alphabet book that should be in every collection. This poor, black kitty only became bad when her family ran out of kitty-appropriate food. She was going to be forced to eat an alphabet of healthy foods, asparagus to zucchini. So she perpetrates an alphabet of badness, from "Ate my homework" to "Zeroing the zinnias." Then her loving family returns from the grocery with an alphabet of great kitty food, anchovies to zebra ziti-some of it silly, but she's excited enough to reform and perform an alphabet of gracious actions, from apologizing to a nipped grandma to lulling a baby into a "zzz"-ful sleep. Kitty gets a present too, her just deserts (a puppy to play with). Bruel's little black star is perhaps the hammiest, most expressive feline ever captured in watercolors. The quarter-page illustrations for all the letters in all four alphabets are littered with little (and big) laughs. Even the alphabet-experienced will love this bad, bad kitty! 2005, Roaring Brook, 40p, $15.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 3 to 9. Starred Review. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ruie Chehak (Library Media Connection, February 2006)
If you are looking for an unusual alphabet book, this book is for you. Kitty, the main character, hears a voice from the other room indicating that there is no cat food, only vegetables. Readers meet an alphabetical list of common and uncommon vegetables. Because Kitty doesn't like any of the vegetable choices, Kitty changes to a bad kitty, and does all sorts of horrible things from A to Z. A trip to the market is made and now Kitty has all sorts of wonderful things to eat and yes, you guessed it, from A to Z. Kitty does all sorts of things to apologize for her bad behavior from A to Z of course! To reward Kitty for her good behavior, the family buys a new friend for Kitty to share her food with. The new friend is a puppy. Nick Bruel's illustrations are bright and delightful. The vegetable illustrations are detailed and accurate for easy identification. Kitty's feelings are animated and humorous. This is a noteworthy blend of illustration and text. Some of the words will be above younger students' auditory knowledge, but this also lends to the charm of the book. Students will laugh with appreciation. Teachers, librarians, and parents will enjoy sharing this alphabet book with their children. Recommended. 2005, Roaring Brook Press, 40pp., $15.95 hc. Ages 3 to 7.