Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray: The Uproar at the Front Door

Bad Kitty vs Uncle Murray by Nick Bruel

I first met Bad Kitty when she was just a picture book wreaking alphabetical havoc on the household. But Bad Kitty has evolved into a my first graphic novel style enterprise.

This book rather awesomely depicts Uncle Murray’s turn at cat-sitting. Perfect for readers with short attention spans, Bruel switches between cartoon graphics with captions, fun facts, poor beleaguered Uncle Murray’s impressions and Bad Kitty’s diary and a side story involving a strange kitty who moonlights as “Fantastic Cat”, a type of cat superhero.  The first few pages show both goofy, friendly Uncle Murray’s actual words and actions and Bad Kitty’s paranoid, crazed interpretations.

This would also make a fun read aloud for kids at home, especially if you’re trying to entertain readers of various ages.  There is tons of onomatopoeia which often entertains little ones, and readers will also love noticing where kitty is hiding.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – “heck,” “jerk,” “lousy…rotten,” “stupid,” “what the…” “holy salami,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Kitty fears being eaten by a man.  Kitty posits that perhaps a monster (Uncle Murray) will eat the dog instead of him.  It is clear that there is absolutely no risk of this, Kitty is just nuts.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.