Review: Kitty is Not a Cat: Lights Out ,Teddy's Bear and Bath Time!

Kids are probably familiar with the premise of this series, which is now a popular cartoon: a family of stray cats who live in an old mansion take a girl into their home and hearts. 

Kitty meows, has paws and a tail, but – as they constantly remind her – she is not a cat. But they love her and care for her nevertheless.

In this sweet and funny instalment, Kitty’s night light has gone missing and she isn’t  sleeping. 

The cats try all sorts of things to help her sleep – giving her a sheep to count and a boring story to listen to. And whilst these all help Kitty drop off – the problem isn’t solved. After all, her eyes don’t see as well in the dark as a cat’s, it’s probably the dark she’s scared of. 

But when Kitty digs deeper, she discovers that maybe others share her fears, and that being scared isn’t something to be ashamed of.

In this episode, Teddy's Bear, the cats decide to give Kitty a teddy bear. But she ends up with an enormous grizzly bear from Teddy! She’s delighted! 

Teddy’s bear seems to enjoy all the things that Kitty and the cats love – such as music and dancing. 

But the pitfalls of keeping an enormous bear in the house soon become clear, as he leaves a trail of damage in his wake. 

Despite this, Kitty loves him and can’t bear (pun intended) the thought of letting him go. Kitty and the cats need to join together to come up with a solution.

Overall, an easy and well written story that will appeal to a broader audience than just cat lovers (although that helps!).

Cats and baths are not a good combination. They love baths as much as they love medication. They have absolutely no need to immerse themselves in water and get their beautiful fur wet. So there is no pressure on Kitty to have bath at all. Ever. Until she actually needs one.

The cats reluctantly acknowledge that girls cannot get clean by licking their paws and rubbing their faces with it.

Therefore, they overcome their fear of the dreaded bathroom and tentatively venture inside. They experiment with the strange instruments they discover within – like taps and tubs.

But Kitty has other ideas. Bath? No thanks!

It takes a combination of gentle persuasion and one very loving cat overcoming its fear of the water for Kitty to realise that baths might just be fun after all.

A delightful story that will appeal to cat lovers and those strange people those not as keen alike.

Title: Kitty is Not a Cat: Bath Time
Author: Jess Black
Publisher: Lothian, $9.99
Publication Date: 27 October 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780734419798
For ages: 5+
Type: Junior Fiction Younger

Title: Kitty is Not a Cat: Teddy’s Bear 

Author: Jess Black
Publisher: Lothian, $9.99
Publication Date: August, 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780734419774
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Junior Fiction Younger

Title: Kitty is Not a Cat: Lights Out 

Author: Jess Black
Publisher: Lothian, $9.99
Publication Date: August, 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780734419750
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Junior Fiction Younger