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A Bad Kitty Christmas



Last updated Thursday, November 30, 2017

Author: Nick Bruel
Date of Publication: 2011
ISBN: 1596436689
Grade Level: 3rd    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Dec. 2017

Synopsis: "Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the city, not a creature was stirring...Except for BAD KITTY."

A greedy Bad Kitty didn't get all the presents she wanted for Christmas, but after she goes on a Christmas caper across town and through multiple alphabets, she makes a new friend, finds an old friend, and learns the true meaning of Christmas. Or not. Nick Bruel's first picture book about Bad Kitty since the uproarious Poor Puppy in 2007 is full of rhyming mayhem... and Christmas cheer.

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  What are some holidays people celebrate this time of the year?
•  What are your favorite holiday traditions in your family?
•  Do you do anything special for your pet during the holidays?


Vocabulary

•  Clatter: a continuous rattling sound as of hard objects falling or striking each other.
•  Caper: skip or dance about in a lively or playful way.
•  Mauled: a person/ animal wounded by an animal by scratching and tearing.
•  Ousted: To drive out or expel (someone) from a position or place.
•  Quashed: put an end to; suppress.
•  Vexed: annoyed, frustrated, or worried.
•  Wretched: in a very unhappy or unfortunate state.
•  Cormorant: a large diving bird with a long neck, long hooked bill, short legs, and mainly dark plumage.
•  Ibis: a large wading bird with a long down-curved bill, long neck, and long legs.
•  Jackal: a slender, long-legged wild dog that feeds on carrion, game, and fruit and often hunts cooperatively, found in Africa and southern Asia.
•  Narwhal: a small Arctic whale, the male of which has a long forward-pointing spirally twisted tusk developed from one of its teeth.
•  Quetzal: a bird of the trogon family, with iridescent green plumage and typically red underparts, found in the forests of tropical America.
•  Xerus: an African ground squirrel of the genus Xerus, having spiny fur, very short ears, and a long tail.
•  Yak: a large domesticated wild ox with shaggy hair, humped shoulders, and large horns, used in Tibet as a pack animal and for its milk, meat, and hide.
•  Pondered: think about something carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion.
•  Adorned: make more beautiful or attractive.
•  Lineage: the line of descent from an ancestor; ancestry or pedigree.
•  Slumber: being a sleep or sleeping.

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  What did bad kitty learn?
•  did you notice how the author/ illustrator visually divided the book into mini stories? ( different fonts; the dog's adventure is in grey and whites sketches a the bottom of the same page, etc)

Craft ideas:
•  Make an ornament or other holiday decoration

•  Draw a picture of your family or a family memory (family photos and memories are a theme of the book)

•  Make a holiday card for your teacher

•  Check our craft ideas for on Pinterest!
https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/december-2017-crafts/

Special activities:
•  Sing Christmas carols.

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!