KITTY CAMP

A youngster psyched about attending summer camp rolls with the punches upon arriving at a camp for cats.

The narrator, who has pale skin and long dark hair, leaps onto the bus with a huge smile but quickly discovers something’s amiss—the bus is filled with felines! Everyone pulls up at Kitty Camp. No matter: “I LOVE KITTIES!!!!” Though the cat counselor’s speech bubble reads only “Meow meow meow,” the kid understands and heads to Arts and Crafts, but these felines are more interested in batting at string. Unfortunately, the cats don’t want to do anything that this eager camper has been looking forward to, like hiking or swimming. The disappointed protagonist want to go home…until the child discovers an activity everyone loves: building and playing in a “superfort” made of cardboard boxes! Just like that, everything turns around: “Kitty Camp just took a little getting used to.” This companion to 2022’s Puppy Bus (featuring a cameo from that book’s protagonist) stands alone, and it’s a fun twist on many first-timers’ experiences at summer camp, where everyone is likely to realize that reality doesn’t always match up with one’s expectations. Brockington’s goofy cartoon art is rife with hilarious details; the expressions on the parents’ faces when their kid hacks up a hairball are priceless.

Pure feline fun.