Fashion Kitty

Note: The zeros were cast by a troll and her gang, not real and decent people, and are against me personally and not the book or the review! Underneath all my sweet librarian's clothes and hairstyle lives a fire-breathing dragon, who was once a high school English teacher. The fire breath keeps shouting: "No graphic novels in this library! Make them read words!" "But, Dragon," I say, "I continue to find books like 'Fashion Kitty,' and Babymouse #1: Queen of the World!, and crossovers (more words than pictures) like Race Across America (Geronimo Stilton). I simply must add them to the library!" And so I do--the "I" being the (occasionally) sweet librarian. "Fashion Kitty" is adorable. Created by Charise Mericle Harper, the book contains two things dear to the hearts of most girls: kitties and fashion! The wonderful thing about Fashion Kitty (KiKi Kittie) is that she helps those in need of help in fashion. It begins this way. On her birthday, through a series of complicated, fated maneuvers, Kiki is hit on the head by a shelf full of fashion books. This knock-out blow is compounded by the fact that Kiki and her free-thinking little sister, Lana, are allowed to dress how they want. Lana is a hoot, wearing pantyhose one day as a scarf, then as a belt the next. When Fashion Kitty needs a disguise she borrows the pantyhose to wear over her face (see cover). The importance of family--and a happy family--is emphasized. Well, that's enough of backstory. The second half shows Fashion Kitty helping two different girl kitties, one to avoid a fashion faux pas, the other to change an enemy into a friend. Obviously, one important theme is the importance of friendship. The sketches are fairly simple (see cover), but colored in tints and shades of pink, gray, white, and black. Then there are eight full color, glossy pages which the reader cuts into thirds (as indicated by scissors) to flip through 24 outfits. Our school library has a Barbie book set up this way. Girls LOVE that book! "Fashion Kitty" is a big hit in my library! The girls are clamoring for more Fashion Kitty. Great! More are on the way! Dragon tamed.

When I took my (then) 2-year-old to the library and she saw this book just "sitting" on a table, she snatched it up and insisted on taking it home. After excessive renewals, my husband decided to surprise us with "our" own copy, being that neither my daughter nor I wanted to part with our newly found "fashion hero". It's been 2 years since, and now my daughter has moved on from just looking at the pictures to reading the basic words. Fahion Kitty is still a family favorite.

I checked out this book from the library, and my 10 year old son and I read it before my 8 year old daughter (the intended audience) got her hands on it. All 3 of us enjoyed it. Before she got finished with it, my daughter was asking if there were more of them. We will be waiting anxiously for a new one. I'd recommend it for any reader who gets bogged down with chapter books, but even chapter book readers will enjoy it. I compare it to our son's delight with the Captain Underpants graphic novels. Easy to read and funny!

My 5 year old is on her third time through this book. She has enjoyed looking at the pictures on her own and having the book read to her twice while she helps with some of the smaller words. It has been a great way to get her involved in reading. She can't wait for the next Fashion Kitty book to come out!

I purchased this book for my 8 year old daughter. Getting her to read can sometimes be a chore so I was thrilled when I showed her this book and she could not put it down. It's funny for children and adults. She was chuckling to herself as she read. It's great because the language is not too easy but there are pictures to break things up for her. One of the biggest adjustments for emergent readers is the lack of pictures and getting used to that concept. I wish there were more of these books to buy and can't wait for another installment.