Katt Loves Dogg: Katt vs. Dogg, Book 2

Parents need to know that Katt Loves Dogg is the sequel to Katt vs. Dogg, a zany illustrated tale in which authors James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein presented young Molly and Oscar, tween members of families -- and species -- who hated each other, but who become friends in the wake of a wilderness adventure. Now they want to spread the message of interspecies harmony, teamwork, and getting along, but nobody wants to hear it. Other than their teen cousins Violet and Romaldo, who are madly and secretly in love, which grosses Molly and Oscar out. Meanwhile, both their families are having a fine time slinging insults at each other and trying to keep the two friends apart, and the TV host who's made a career of making the fur fly on-camera plots to make it all her wildest episode yet. There's nonstop pee, poop, barf, fart, and bathroom humor, which is no surprise when one species sniffs each other's butts, another hurls hairballs, and a third's pee smells like popcorn. But there are also strong messages of acceptance, appreciating each other's differences, working together -- and finding you have surprising things in common with difficult family members. Romeo and Juliet references are common, but unlike the original, all ends happily. The book is a fine new entry in this jimmy patterson series, intended to make each kid who reads the book eager to read another.