‘Bad Kitty Gets A Bath’ In New Kids’ Book

“Bad Kitty Gets a Bath” by Nick Bruel, 2008, Roaring Brook Press, $13.95/$15.50 Canada, 128 pages: Let’s say it’s Sunday, and you’ve had a great weekend.
You spent time outside, maybe riding your bike or running around in the yard. You did a few things for mom, helped dad with his chores, played some games, maybe even went to the mall or visited grandma.
But now it’s Sunday night, and you know what that means.
Ugh, a bath. But guess what? As much as you hate taking baths, it could be worse: you could be a cat.
Just remember this, and say it often: cats hate baths.
You’ll need to know that when you read “Bad Kitty Gets a Bath” by Nick Bruel, because if you don’t memorize it now, you’ll wish you had when you get kitty in the tub.
Even if you don’t have a cat at home, you know what cats do. They lick, lick, lickety their paws and their legs and their tails, and they give themselves a bath with their tongues.
As much as you wish you could do that for yourself, it’s probably not a good idea.
But let’s say that kitty gets into something really dirty and smelly. In that case, you’re going to want to have plenty of bandages around and a doctor on hand. You might want a suit of armor and clean underwear. An ambulance isn’t a bad idea, either, because you’ll have to (uh oh!) give kitty a bath.
It’s not that cats hate water. Some cats like it. Tigers are great swimmers, even. But cats hate getting wet unless they’re in charge of the whole thing.
And in this case, you’re in charge. Good luck.
First, you’ll have to find kitty and catch her.  Get her in the bathroom and close the door. Make sure the water is warm – not hot – and put kitty in the water. With a wet washcloth, carefully soak her fur and get her clean. Gently fluff her with a towel and let her go because she may want to lick, lick, lickety again for good measure. Then, just hope that Kitty forgives you sooner or later and never gets into anything smelly again because cats really hate baths.
Doesn’t every kid go through a phase where everything somehow gets dunked in a tub, sink or toilet? Better hope they’re past that before you give them “Bad Kitty Gets a Bath.”
Kids who love cats are going to love this book, not just because of the illustrations but also because author Bruel (who also penned “Bad Kitty” a few years ago) writes at the perfect kid-level. He knows what children like, and he showers lots of that in his book. He sprinkles in a few things for grown-ups to soak up, then he dumps in a capful of facts that kids will enjoy knowing. The result is a book that will make readers bubble with giggles.
If your 7-to-10 year old adores cats and silly stories and understands that cats hate baths, then look for this cute-as-a-kitten book. “Bad Kitty Gets a Bath” is a tubful of fun.

‘LIES’ REVIEW
“The Book of Lies” by Brad Meltzer, 2008, Grand Central Publishing, $25.99/$28.99 Canada 352 pages: How much did comic books cost when you were a kid? Remember the smell of comic book paper, and the “win this bike” ad on the back? Begging for the latest “Archie” or “Spider-Man” issue, promising to share with your younger siblings but secretly intending to hoard it for yourself? I’ll bet you even remember how much coin (and it really was coin then) you had to shell out for an afternoon of entertainment.
In the new novel “The Book of Lies” by Brad Meltzer, a rare and nearly-unknown comic book is so priceless that the cost to have it may be death.
When he was 9 years old, Calvin Harper watched as his father pushed Cal’s mother to her death. Lloyd Harper went to the penitentiary for murder then disappeared upon release, never bothering to look for his son. Cal, once a disgrace to the FBI and now working with the indigent, never forgot or forgave his father.
So when the well-dressed “homeless” man with the stomach wound gasps the name of Lloyd Harper, Cal recognizes his father and is angry. He hadn’t seen Lloyd in 19 years, and now Lloyd is in Cal’s work territory, bleeding and – Cal is sure – lying.
Lloyd says he doesn’t know who hired him to run a load of shrimp to Cleveland, and he has no idea who shot him or why. Cal doesn’t believe him and goes digging.
But amidst the mess of melting shrimp, there it was, the reason Lloyd was involved: at the bottom of an occupied coffin lay a hand-drawn “Superman” comic book. Cal knows that there’s more to these funnies than a mere tie to the boy who created the Man of Steel. Reluctantly allowing his father to help and with his life in danger, Cal decides to follow the clues that make no sense but are obviously important to somebody.
Ellis Belasco knows that Lloyd Harper has the map that will lead to the book.  If Ellis can get his hands on it, he will fulfill the destiny started by his great-grandfather. The prophet is helping Ellis, and the judge has paid good money to recover what Ellis knows Lloyd Harper has. And if people have to die because of it, well ...
Loosely based around truth, “The Book of Lies” is one of those novels that somewhat defies description but here goes: it’s part mystery, part conspiracy, part “Da Vinci Code,” plenty of pop culture, your obligatory Nazis and some history mixed with thriller.
Author Meltzer admits in his author’s notes that he gently stretched real, true facts to make this novel. Since the first third of the book is awash in confusion, understanding that is good. It makes you want to stick with the story. By the time the paper fog clears, though, you won’t be disappointed that you did.
If you consume novels faster than a speeding bullet or if you’d happily leap over tall bookcases for a great read, you’ll love this one. “The Book of Lies” is pretty super.

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book.