Catwad is a cat who’s usually in a bad mood. Blurmp is his best friend who’s usually in a good mood. One of them seems to have bad luck all of the time while the other one walks on clouds to a kitten soundtrack. Catwad is the stuff of elementary school legend. If you go to a Scholastic book sale early enough in the week there might be a copy or two of one of the Catwad books. If you go later in the week then they’ll be sold out. Catwad Me, Three! is out and kids everywhere are clamoring for it.
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Some elementary aged readers might not realize that Catwad Me, Three! is out now. People have been locked inside their homes for weeks, sometimes months at a time. The aforementioned book sale didn’t happen and some kids missed the memo that a certain surly cat has new adventures out.
I asked our 10 year-old why he likes to read Catwad. The reading level is simple for him; it’s not for the thrill of getting lost in a book. He enjoys reading them because they’re funny, pure and simple.
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The book has just over two dozen Catwad vignettes. Think of each vignette as a long and oversized comic strip. These stories are loaded with colors, imagination, action, manic happiness and sometimes Ren and Stimpy style melodrama. It is also very funny.
Catwad is by author/illustrator Jim Benton whom elementary school readers will know from Franny K. Stein, Victor Shmud, Dear Dumb Diary or others. As a cartoonist his work hits a level that will also really entertain older readers. It’s just slightly subversive, but still wholly appropriate for kids to look at-they just won’t laugh as hard as you do at some of his work.
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With Catwad, Benton is aiming his laser pointer of cat distraction at those aged 6 through 13. Those younger readers will love the fact that they can read some of the words, the art, the silly jokes and madcap humor. Thos older readers will love the art, the silly jokes and the madcap humor. It’s a book with just a little potty humor that translates well for any reader who might be just a little reluctant. At the same time, it’s also good, silly fun that young readers will dig into just for fun.
It’s also worth mentioning that Catwad is published on Graphix. That’s an imprint of Scholastic Books and 99 out of 100 books from Graphix will be excellent for elementary aged readers. If you’re not familiar with that publisher then it’s worth digging through all of their books to see what might tempt your small person.
There are affiliate links in this post, because, cats.