Naughty Cherie! <small>by Joyce Carol Oates </small>

This is one of those children's books that over the past two years or so has sort of slipped under the radar and has not gotten the attention that it probably deserves.

I am not sure what the problem is as it seems unlikely that a book written my Joyce Carol Oates would be under marketed by the publisher. That is a shame as it would seem that just not all that many people have heard of or are familiar with this work, and the book, including the text and illustrations are quite good...certainly better than many I have seen recently.

Cherie is one of five kittens who lives with Mommy Cat and Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Cherie's best friend, a little girl named Evan. Cherie is the cutest kitten of the litter and by far the most adventuresome and alas, I hate to report this, but she is also the one naughty kitten of the little family. She climbs the curtains and tears them down, tears up Evan's books, spills water from the dishes, attacks Mr. Smith's shoes, spills classes all over the place and wakes everyone from their naps...among many other mischievous little pranks. All in all, our little bundle of energy can be just a bit of a handful. She excuses her behavior because she "is just a baby."

One day, after a particularly frenzy of destruction, Mrs. Smith places Cherie in a corner by herself for punishment. While sort of sulking in the corner, the kitten finds a crack in the wall that leads to a secret room; the Little Friends Kindercare. This room is filled with other baby animals, which sort of scares Cherie and thrills her at the same time. But my goodness, our wayward kitten finds that while many of the other baby animals are not really mean to her, the are somewhat obnoxious and do things that simply annoy the little cat. They certainly are not being nice! When scolded by the other animals, the misbehaviors always answer that "it is okay, I am just a baby and can do something like that." It does not take Cherie long to see herself in this unacceptable behavior and what effect that being naughty has upon others.

When our naughty little furry kitten returns to her home, she is a changed little one and she finds that being nice rather than naughty does have its rewards.

The text of this work is quite well done and the illustrations are composed of some of the best kitten pictures I have seen. Both author and illustrator certainly know their cats and kittens. The only problem I have with the books is when Cherie is leaves her home to this "other room" and back again, there is not real explanation on how it is done. Kids pick up on this quite quickly. As the entire book is filled with small stuffed animals in the house, I always simply tell the children that the little kitten is dreaming which they seem to willingly accept. This is a minor glitch and of no great moment.

Oates is one of our more skilled writers in recent times and her books are certainly popular. The illustrator is obvious a very talented and skilled individual. They makes a wonderful team and there really is not a lot not to like about this book

This is an ideal read aloud for the class and a great bedtime story. It teaches a very nice lesson and seems to hold the interest of the children quite well. Most kids love any story dealing with animals, especially those that include cats and dogs.

This is certainly worth finding, adding to your child's library and worth the read.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Naughty Cherie!