Review Detail

Kitty and Cat: Bent Out of Shape

Kids Fiction 496

"Square" Cat on the Run

November 04, 2023

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

3.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

When Cat is threatened with a bath, he escapes his round bed and hides around the house assuming different shapes. The refrain Where's Cat?" "There's Cat" is consistent as Cat, Kitten, a fly, and Puppy, a small dachshund, travel around the house. Cat tries impersonating a throw pillow, a mirror, a lap top, and even a kite! Eventually, Cat is located and bathed, much to his chagrin. Kitty and Puppy, who have been bedeviling Cat and helping to find him, and next in line, and try to hide while snuggled up with Cat in a heart shape.

Good Points

The beginning of the book has a page of shapes, and there are plenty of different ones to identify on the page. Like the concept in this author's Opposites Attract, Cat and Kitten, shapes are explored in a fun and amusing way. There are few words in this, and few are needed; readers will instead be spending their time finding and naming the difference shapes!

The illustrations are in bright colors like yellow, pink, and blue, and are showcased on plentiful white space' all the better to see the shapes! There's a decided 1960s feel to the house, with Midcentury furniture with clean, low lines. I always love seeing this mix of timeless and evocative art.

I'm more of a dog person myself, so was glad to see the exuberant Puppy in this one, but I'm trying to be more open to cats. I love Cat's grumpy demeanor contrasted with Kitty's frolicking . Linotte's Have You Seen My Sock, Kraegel's This is a Book of Shapes, Borando's Shapes at Play, Fleming's Go, Shapes, Go, and Hoban's Shapes, Shapes, Shapes. I, of course, am a big fan of Henke's Circle Dogs!