Nick Bruel & His Bad Kitty

Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of the Bad Kitty books. To say his books are fun to read is an understatement. Bad Kitty's attitude when her owner runs out of cat food is a little extreme, and very zany. My daughter and I bought our first Nick Bruel book at a school book fair and have read it out loud to each other many times. We never tire of laughing at Bad Kitty and her owners. We have read:

Bad Kitty
Bad Kitty Gets a Bath
Poor Puppy

Bad Kitty is a picture book with an ABC theme, so it's wonderful to read to little ones, especially if you use a lot of expression when telling the tale. You can read it through once, then go back through to review the alphabet and the words used. The book is hysterically funny and the pictures clever and colorful, so that you won't mind reading it again and again. Once kids can read, they will read it themselves, chuckling the entire time.

Bad Kitty Gets a Bath is a chapter book, but it has a lot of fun illustrations. I know working with second and third graders during the last couple of years that some kids are intimidated by chapter books. They look at all those words and panic a bit. Chapter books like this one, have plenty of text, but the illustrations help make it "new reader friendly". Since we have three cats at our house, I can tell you that Bad Kitty Gets a Bath has some very good tips on bathing cats. I think it's a must read for families who have cats. It will teach the kids about handling kitties, and help avoid some nasty cat scratches. Ouch.

Poor Puppy is a picture book with an ABC theme as well. Bad Kitty does make an appearance in puppy's book. His book is just as zany, though he doesn't get as crabby as Bad Kitty.

The picture books mentioned are suggested for ages 4-8, which is probably about right, though I think fans will read it beyond 8 years old. I would say you could read it aloud with kids much younger too. The chapter books (there is a new one titled Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty) are suggested for ages 9-12, but my daughter was 8 when she first read it and in 3rd grade.

The Bad Kitty books are a great read for girls or boys, for enthusiastic readers or those who might be struggling a little bit. They are fun and zany which makes kids want to know what's written on the page instead of settling just for the pictures.

~Brenda

Yes, there is a real Uncle Murray, who is featured in the Bad Kitty books: http://www.nickbruel.com/22801.html?entryId=3563877690b9a81370bf5a9dbc1b87f7

Nick reads Poor Puppy to a classroom of fans: http://www.jacketflap.com/video.asp?video=815

Excerpt from Happy Birthday Bad Kitty: http://us.macmillan.com/BookCustomPage.aspx?isbn=9781596433427#Excerpt

Otto and Todd Parr

I'll never forget when my son came home from school to tell me about this COOL guy who wrote books and drew the pictures himself. His teacher gave him some neat bookmarks and postcards with his drawings. His name was Todd Parr. That was about ten years ago, and we STILL read Todd Parr at our house! My daughter is 9 now, and has all of the Otto books, plus we have quite a few of his smaller books such as Things That Make You Feel Good, Things That Make You Feel Bad, Underwear Do's and Dont's.

I noticed that Todd's books are listed as "Baby to Kindergarten" in some places, and "Ages 4-8" in others. My daughter is 9 now, and we still read his books before bed when she reads aloud to me. The small books are easier to read for little ones, but all of his books are great for reading aloud. The pictures are bright and cheery. The writing is simple, and to the point. Here is a sample from Underwear Do's and Don'ts:

DO put your clean underwear away
DON'T Put it in the freezer

At our house we have never read a Todd Parr book without laughing out loud. The Otto books are my favorites. On the back covers they have a picture of Todd with his dog Bully. He writes:

This is me with my dog, Bully.
Doesn't he look like Otto?

At the end of each Otto book Todd and Bully leave a message for the reader on the last page and sign it "Love, Otto and Todd".

I can't imagine not having Todd Parr's books in our home. He's helped me make some wonderful reading memories for my children. If you haven't read his books, be sure to give them a try.

~Brenda

All of Todd Parr's Books are listed on Amazon.

This is Todd's official site with book information, news and fun. Coloring pages in PDF format plus an activity book you can print out. http://www.toddparr.com/fun/

Todd also has a personal website that has a lot of pictures of Bully. He also shares his love of Tacos! http://web.mac.com/toddworld/Site/Welcome.html

Reading Sparks Our Imagination

When I decided to start this blog I didn't have a name. I jotted down a list of words that made my think of how I felt about books and reading. I came up with:

imagination
reading
refuge
comfort
mind
teaching
joy

Books speak to us. They feed our minds. They spark our imagination. Then it came to me: Reading Sparks. It's a perfect fit. This blog will be about books, authors, reading inspiration, plus book reviews for kids and their parents. I might throw in a little history, author biographies and other tidbits as well.

I've always loved to read. Even as a kid I had this ability to block out everything around me when engrossed in a book. Books were my refuge. I was a shy kid, very emotional with a vivid imagination. Fast forward to 1993 when I became pregnant with my son, who is now 16. His brother followed in 1994, and finally, their sister in 2000. I read to each of them from birth until they wanted to read on their own. My daughter now reads to me each night. I love watching them read, and having them tell me about a book that made them laugh or cry.

Books have always been a big part of my life and I hope that comes across in this blog.

~Brenda