Bad Kitty Gets a Bath

Pet owners beware!Bad Kitty really needs a bath, and sheis forced to takeone in this hysterical new illustrated how-to for young readers. The following are some items you will need for Kitty's bath: one bathtub, plenty of water, dry towels, a suit of armor, a letter to your loved ones, clean underwear (because stressful situations can cause accidents), an ambulance in your driveway with the engine running, and, oh, yeah, you'll also need Kitty . . . but good luck with that! Kitty is at her worst in this riotous how-to guide filled with bad smells, cautionary tales of horror, and hopefully by the end . . . some soap.

Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of Boing!, Who Is Melvin Bubble? (a Junior Library Guild and Children’s Book of the Month Club Selection), and of course Bad Kitty and Poor Puppy. Bob and Otto, written by his father Robert and illustrated by Nick, was the One Picture Book/One Community selection for Miami Dade and Broward counties for the 2007-2008 school year. He is also the illustrator of Roaring Brook’s five Dick King-Smith chapter books. His next book will be another Bad Kitty chapter book, Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty, from Roaring Brook in Fall 2009. Nick lives with his wife Carina in Tarrytown, NY.

CHAPTER TWO
FINDING KITTY
Now’s the hard part.
The bath is ready, but Kitty is not. In fact, Kitty is nowhere to be found.
Is she in her litter box?
Is she under the sofa?*
Is she sitting on her favorite window ledge?
Is she sitting in her favorite chair?
Is she lying in your bed?
So where is Kitty?
Kitty’s very good at hiding. So maybe the best step right now would be to think about where you found her all the other times she hid.
This is where she was hiding when you had to take her to the vet.*
This is where she was hiding when you had to brush her teeth.
This is where she was hiding when you had to give her medicine.
This is where she was hiding when you had to clip her nails.
This is where she was hiding when you told her to finish her vegetables.*
There’s Puppy!
Maybe Puppy knows where Kitty is hiding.
Hey, Puppy . . . Do you know where Kitty is hiding?
Hmmm . . . Maybe he doesn’t know.
Hold on . . . Since when does Puppy have black fur? Puppy has never had black fur. So maybe that isn’t Puppy at all. So who is it really? Hmmm . . .
IT’S KITTY IN DISGUISE! GET HER!
SHE’S RUNNING INTO THE LIVING ROOM! GET HER!
Excerpted from Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel.
Copyright © 2008 by Nick Bruel.
Published in 2008 by Square Fish.
All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright laws and reproduction is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce the material in any manner or medium must be secured from the Publisher.