Booklist (October 15, 2008 (Vol. 105, No. 4))
Grades 3-5. This follow-up to Bad Kitty (2005) pairs Bruel’s witty asides and spastic, tongue-in-cheek commentaries with more high-energy cartoon illustrations. With hyperbolic humor, Bruel describes the dangerous process of cat bathing, from collecting the necessary tools (including cat shampoo and a “suit of armor” for humans), to finding and coaxing Kitty into the water, to dealing with your now-clean-though-very-unhappy animal. (One illustration suggests checking your sneakers for “something awful inside.”) Following all of the scratching and hissing and spitting, a brief epilogue depicts bathing Puppy, a ridiculously simple process that cleverly highlights the elaborateness of Kitty’s ritual. Packed into the chaos are fun facts, such as explanations for why cats hate water and the hows and whys of hairballs; a “glossary of common cat sounds”; a few strategically placed editor’s notes; and a not-so-serious glossary. Whether they prefer cats or dogs, young and reluctant readers will get plenty of laughs from this comic and informative chapter book.
Horn Book (Spring 2009)
After being chased through the garbage, it's time for Bad Kitty to get a bath. Short humorous chapters explain how cats normally bathe, why it's wrong for humans to bathe the same way, and the proper method for washing a cat. Sprinkled with facts--and plenty of funny warnings--the story also makes a good primer for young cat owners. Glos.
Kirkus Reviews starred (July 1, 2008)
Bad Kitty usually cleans herself. Sometimes, however, when Poor Puppy chases her into a garbage can, for instance, she really needs a bath. Everyone knows that cats hate baths. "It's not that cats don't like baths. It's not that cats have a difficult relationship with baths...CATS HATE BATHS!" This helpful book gives readers instructions on how to give Kitty a bath when there are simply no other options. It begins with finding and catching Kitty, which is easier said than done. There's a helpful glossary of translations of the sounds Kitty is likely to make during the bath (one entry so R-rated it's censored by the editor), and another glossary at the back of the harder words in the text (including "glossary"). Bad Kitty has made her way through the alphabet and numbers up to 26 in previous outings, and in this heavily illustrated chapter book larded with science facts and plenty of laughs, she proves once again she's a force to be reckoned with. Multiple copies are a must. (Fiction. 5-12)
School Library Journal (October 1, 2008)
Gr 2-4-Bad Kitty and Poor Puppy are back. This time they are featured in a funny, heavily illustrated "how-to" chapter book that is reminiscent of Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise's "Regarding the..." titles (Harcourt). The instructions for getting the feline into the water include begging, cajoling, and reverse psychology. The text includes clippings from the Daily Nooz, "Uncle Murray's Fun Facts," a "Quick Quiz," a glossary of cat sounds ("fft!"), and two notes from the editor to the author about what is "unprintable." The resistant cat makes a valiant effort to avoid the procedure but finally-"YEOWR!," "HISSS!"-she is bathed. The pup gets his turn in an epilogue, but without any drama. Bruel's zany illustrations incorporate numerous perspectives that heighten the humor.-Marilyn Ackerman, Brooklyn Public Library, NY Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.