Common Sense Media Review
By Darienne Stewart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Halloween alphabet book is a howlingly funny treat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
BAD KITTY SCAREDY-CAT shows how the notoriously ornery Kitty got to be so very bad. She starts out brave, daring, and tough (and sometimes angry, inept, vexed, and more). But one night, a parade of terrifying creatures comes to her doorstep and sends her into hiding: a ghastly goblin, a killer kraken, a toxic tarantula, and worse. But a dropped bag spills an enticing pile of treats, and Kitty wants more. She decides to be a very, very bad kitty and attacks all the trick-or-treaters, swiping their booty for herself. (But a woof from Puppy still spooks her!)
Is It Any Good?
Nick Bruel's comically cantankerous cat is back with a laugh-out-loud story perfect for both building vocabularies and easing children's trick-or-treating jitters as Halloween night draws near. Bad Kitty Scaredy-Cat rips through four rounds of the alphabet, and each round is zanier than the last.
The ghoulish creatures look realistic at first, but even skittish kids will be drawn in by the energetic artwork, Kitty's freaked-out expressions, and the deliciously descriptive vocabulary. The next time the creatures appear, the tables are turned: Beneath those monstrous costumes are trick-or-treaters terrified by greedy Kitty. It's another gem in Bruel's popular Bad Kitty series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Kitty conquers her fear in Bad Kitty Scaredy-Cat. Her greed for treats motivates her to overcome her fear. What helps you get through scary situations?
What's a better way Kitty could have gotten treats?
Notice the alliteration (when two words start with the same sound). Come up with some fun alliterative descriptions of your own.
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Nick Bruel
- Genre : Holiday
- Topics : Animals , Holidays , Fantasy , Numbers and Letters
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Roaring Brook Press
- Publication date : September 28, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 5 - 8
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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