Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty

by Nick Bruel, Nick Bruel (Illustrator)

Overview

Get ready to party!

It's Bad Kitty's birthday, and she's wishing for a special gift. If she doesn't get it, well . . . things won't be pretty for her guests. The guest list includes Chatty Kitty, Strange Kitty, Stinky Kitty, and her other neighborhood "pals." Plus, don't forget Uncle Murray and Poor Puppy! Join in on the fun in this riotous companion to Bad Kitty Gets a Bath!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312629021
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	05/11/2010
Series:	Bad Kitty Series
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	24,203
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.18(h) x 0.47(d)
Lexile:	610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of New York Times bestseller Boing! and the Bad Kitty books, among others. He is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist, and during his down time, he collects PEZ dispensers and grows tomatoes in the backyard. He lives in Tarrytown, NY with his wife Carina and their lovely cat Esmerelda.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

GOOD MORNING, KITTY!

GOOD MORNING, KITTY!

Today is going to be a great day! The sun is shining! The birds are singing! Flowers are blooming everywhere with all the colors of the rainbow!

You know what today is, don’t you, Kitty? Today is a very special day! Today is the kind of day that only comes once a year! Today is the kind of day that you celebrate ALL day long! Today is the kind of day that deserves a BIG, FUN PARTY!

Now, do you know what today is?

TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!

And that means we start your very special day with a very special BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST!

We made all of your favorites . . .

Aardvark Bagels, Clam Doughnuts, Eel Fritters, Grilled Hummingbirds, Iguana Jelly, Koala Lemonade, Mongoose and Nuts, Orangutan Pancakes, Quetzal Raisin bread, Snake Tortillas, Unicorn and Vegetable juice, Walrus in XO sauce, and for dessert a Yak Zabaglione!

Excerpted from Happy Birthday Bsd Kitty by Nick Bruel.

Copyright 2009 by Nick Bruel.

Published in September 2009 by Roaring Brook Press.

All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright laws and reproduction is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce the material in any manner or medium must be secured from the Publisher.

Reading Group Guide

BAD KITTY

Word Scrambler
Directions: Unscramble the words on the left to make words you might read in the Bad Kitty books.
1. TELITR OXB_______________________________
2. URF LBAL_________________________________
3. CUELN RMYRUA___________________________
4. DBA YTITK________________________________
5. PPYPU_____________________________________
6. NTASREG KTYIT____________________________
7. HBTA_____________________________________
8. THYCTA TTKIY____________________________
9. OEMW_____________________________________
10. YAPHP DBRIYTAH__________________________

Drawing Activity
The neighborhood cats are on their way over with presents for Kitty. What will you bring her? Draw your present here so you can celebrate Kitty's birthday too!

Fill in the Words
Directions: Fill in the appropriate kind of words in the passage below from Bad Kitty Gets a Bath.

Be prepared. The first lesson that all cat owners must
____________ (VERB) is that CATS____________ (VERB) BATHS.
For your own safety, please repeat this to yourself ____________ (NUMBER) times. It's not that cats don't like baths. It's not that cats have a ____________ (ADJECTIVE)
relationship with baths. It's not that cats chose not to vote for baths in the last election. It's not that cats would rather choose ____________ (NOUN) over baths. It's not that cats neglect to send baths a card on their birthdays. It's not that cats pick baths last when they ____________ (VERB) sides for a kickball game. It's not that cats think about baths in the same way as ____________ (NOUN)
thinks about dogs. It's not that cats once thought baths are an awesome present that cost ____________ (amount) dollars, and then baths didn't have the decency to say "thank you".
It's simply that CATS HATE BATHS!!

Editorial Reviews

The frenetic black-and-white illustrations are just plain hysterical. . . . Fun for all, especially fans.” —Kirkus Reviews

“It's Bad Kitty's unapologetic, curmudgeon nature that delivers the laugh-out-loud funny.” —Publishers Weekly

“Bruel's fast-paced humor is just right for the beginning chapter book set, and the interplay of the text with the comic black-and-white illustrations ratchets up the zaniness level. . . . A frenzied fusion of fiction and nonfiction with plenty of appeal for young readers.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

In the second early chapter book starring this perennial sourpuss, Bad Kitty's day starts off with a special alphabetical “Birthday Breakfast” that includes Aardvark Bagels, Clam Doughnuts and Eel Fritters. Each chapter focuses on a different part of the day's festivities (Bad Kitty is excited about the prospect of presents, but less so about looking through an old photo album and decorating the house). Eventually, some aptly named guests such as Strange Kitty, Chatty Kitty and Stinky Kitty arrive, and the story becomes a whodunit when Bad Kitty's presents vanish and the prime suspect ends up being the lovable slow-wit, Puppy. The appearance of Bad Kitty's Mama, who sports a pearl necklace and a vacuous expression, offers—briefly—a softer side of the feline. Bruel has fun with the format, using footnotes, different font sizes, comedic/informative interludes about cat behavior (“Uncle Murray's Fun Facts”) and lengthy side stories that take place in corner panels to add to the story's freewheeling atmosphere. But as usual, it's Bad Kitty's unapologetic, curmudgeon nature that delivers the laugh-out-loud funny. Ages 7–10. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1–3—Bad Kitty is back for another adventure, and children who have met this cantankerous feline in her previous outings know that a typical birthday celebration just won't do. Kitty "helps" with the decorations, "welcomes" the guests, and gets the best gift of all in a surprise visitor at the disastrous party's end. Bruel's fast-paced humor is just right for the beginning chapter book set, and the interplay of the text with the comic black-and-white illustrations ratchets up the zaniness level. "Uncle Murray's Fun Facts" sections sprinkled throughout offer facts about why cats sleep, scratch, and engage in odd behaviors, and an appendix tells more about each of the breeds represented by Bad Kitty's party guests. A frenzied fusion of fiction and nonfiction with plenty of appeal for young readers.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

School Library Journal

Bad Kitty is back; and, just like every morning, she doesn't want to get out of bed. Today, however, is a special day: Bad Kitty's birthday! After a special alphabetical breakfast made of everything from Aardvark Bagels to Yak Zabaglione, Bad Kitty "helps out" with the decorations (i.e., destroys them). She picks out what she really wants from the Cat-alog of Cat Toys just before the guests start to arrive. She unwraps their . . . questionable gifts, which promptly vanish. Who is stealing them? Bad Kitty's human gives her a truly hideous gift, and Bad Kitty has a major freakout until a special guest calms her down. Then Poor Puppy gives Kitty his homemade present, and it's time for bed. Bruel's follow-up to Bad Kitty Takes a Bath (2008) is nearly as much fun. Uncle Murray returns with his real facts about cats, and an appendix offers information on the breeds of each of the guests. The frenetic black-and-white illustrations are just plain hysterical, and the translations of Siamese Chatty Kitty's blathering is a stitch. Fun for all, especially fans. (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews