Emergency Kittens!

October 1, 2019
The power of cute is the only superpower these kitties need. Are you in trouble? Just having a tough day? "Maybe you need a superhero! Someone muscly and fierce, possibly wearing tights. Or maybe you need... / EMERGENCY KITTENS!" Mimi, Twee-Twee, and Adorbs are three giant-eyed kittens in capes ready to help humans in a bind. They can catch a falling scoop of ice cream, hide a bad haircut, or rescue little children from trees, but not everyone knows about their services. Young Sheldon is beset by bullies who take his ball. Several superheroes come to his aid; they lift bulldozers and leap over buildings, but none of that helps until the EMERGENCY KITTENS (always set in all-caps) arrive. They roll and knead and chase and pounce and finally purr--no one can resist that. With the bullies distracted by their sheer adorableness, Sheldon easily gets his ball back! Through text and speech bubbles (and with tongue firmly planted in cheek), Shaffer mashes up felines and superheroes to giggle-inducing effect. Mottram's colorful cartoon illustrations feature humans of many skin tones--Sheldon presents black--and his three furry warriors pack action and endearing antics on every page. These kitties will win hearts with a glossy-eyed glance. (Picture book. 2-7)

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November 1, 2019
Grades K-2 When life serves up calamities that even costumed superheroes can't handle, here come Mimi, Twee-Twee, and Adorbs?all perky ears, huge, HUGE dilated eyes, and radiant preciousness?mewing, We make everything better! Case in point: when his basketball bounces by accident into the hands of a trio of smirking bullies, naive young Sheldon first calls on a corps of spandex-clad crimefighters ( To the playground and beyond! ) for help, only to see them flummoxed by their adversaries' b-ball keep-away skills. But stand back for the Emergency Kittens, who chase and pounce and stare so fetchingly with bottomless eyes that, in no time, Sheldon has his ball back and those punks are dazzled into bully goo. Even hardened skeptics will fall to helpless babbling at each glimpse of the fuzzy felines gamboling through Mottram's bright suburban scenes. Perhaps not every disaster can be remedied by irresistible cuteness, but for those that can, remember the kittens' tagline: We're always here FUR you! Awww.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)