NINE NAUGHTY KITTENS

Nine Naughty Kittens (42 pp.; $14.95; Oct.; 1-888444-62-2) A rhyming counting book launches nine boisterous kittens on a mission to reunite their family. One-line teasers appear with the current accumulation of kittens; lift-up half-pages reveal every newcomer’s unlikely location, e.g., “Five furry kittens find a pile of sticks/Jasper’s sleeping under them, and then there are six.” Jennings’s rhymes carry the story forward, while Church’s illustrations aptly demonstrate just how mischievous kittens can be. The positive message and endearing conclusion that reunites the kittens with their mother make this book a winner for members of the learning-to-count set, and for cat-lovers, as well. (Picture book. 2-5)