Bruel continues the hilarious adventures of Bad Kitty with a “Night Before Christmas” theme in this latest entry in his successful series about the alphabet-obsessed pet.
Bad Kitty exhibits her customary bad-to-the-bone behavior as she tears through presents and decorations in alphabetical order, from ambushing an angel to zapping the narrator’s zeal. But all that chaos isn’t enough for the fearless feline, because she also dreams of an improbable Christmas banquet, enumerated in another alphabetical litany of hypothetical treats such as fried yak with zebra tail. After a scolding, Bad Kitty runs away from home, and as darkness falls on Christmas Eve, she is rescued by a tiny, elderly woman. The lady shares her family photos with the cat, launching another amusing alphabetical list of her extended family. Though the rhyming text is humorous, the kindly woman also makes some gentle comments about the important aspects of celebrating Christmas with family, and her kindness is repaid when Bad Kitty takes her home for Christmas. The cartoon-style illustrations and multiple-panel format will draw in reluctant readers who might resist a Christmas story, but, really, who can resist Bad Kitty, with all her funny faces and amusing antics?
A witty and original take on the old Christmas Eve chestnut, with a sweet twist to season the fun. (Picture book. 3-8)
