PURRSNICKITTY

Kathy Brodsky
ISBN: 978-0-578-05059-1
Publisher: Helping Words
Publication Date: October 1, 2010

Purrsnikitty, which I can only imagine is pronounced [per-snick-itty], is the humorous tale of an adorable cat that is very aware of just how wonderful and special he is! After being rescued from a shelter, because he was the best, Purrsnikitty learns the ways of being a pet and part of the family. He has the normal troubles of a cat, including hair balls, learning not to jump and break things, and general mischief. However, he also has all the perks! He can sit so tall, curl up anywhere, strut his stuff and hide! He likes to play, which includes chasing and pouncing things he sees. The family is not overjoyed when Purrsnikitty bring home the things he has pounced on. As a result they buy him a bell to warn all mice and birds that he is around. He has the grooming needs of a kitty and easily gets himself in trouble by scratching up the couch. This always curious, territorial cat is thrown for a loop when the new family member is brought home! After all, what cat needs a dog? Soon even Purrsnikitty realizes how wonderful another family member can be. He likes to snuggle with dog when he is cold, and play with dog now that he is big! Purrsnikitty again learns about being friends and part of a family.

What a wonderful delightful book! My daughters loved it! My four year old daughter has asked to read it multiple times. Here is what she says when asked about the book:

“They went to the shelter and picked out Purrsnikitty, he was the best! He licked his fur, got hair in his mouth and spit it out! YUCK! He broke stuff. The little girls’ mother says “No kitty!” He sits, he curls, he walks and hides. Why does he hide? The kitty chased the mouse and then gives it to his parents. He was a bad kitty who scratched the couch. He got in trouble for that. He stares and jumps at birds. His bell rang, it scared the bird. They bring home a little doggy. He doesn’t like him, he likes mice. The doggy takes walks and cuddles. He got big and they were all friends! This book is great! My favorite part is all about the kitty.”

As you can see, my daughter had plenty to say about this wonderful book. It tackles the daily life of a cat, but also goes deeper by prompting the reader to realize when the kitty behaves and misbehaves. It also tackles the issues of being a responsible pet owner as well as how to adjust to knew people, whether friends or family. There are wonderful discussion question as the end of this book that my daughter has asked to read and discuss. The questions are just as much fun for her as reading the book. She readily answers me and we have engaged in many conversations regarding family, friends and others due to the questions. Purrsnikitty is a book full of fun and learning for all ages. Children are bound to love this adorable tale!

Posted by Tiffany

Reviewer for www.bookpleasures.com

PURRSNICKITTY BY KATHY BRODSKY

A must for cat lovers! Whether young or old, if you love cats, you’ll enjoy Purrsnikitty. Brodsky captures the essence of living with cats and how most rule their domain and have their “owners” properly trained.

Sue Johnson,
Editor Grandloving
www.grandloving.com

Children’s books – and their art – get spotlight

By Rebecca Rule
Published: Sunday, March 15, 2009

“The Inside Story” by Kathy Brodsky; illustrated by Cameron Bennett; Helpingwords; cloth; 38 pages; $19.99.

Manchester’s Kathy Brodsky gives young readers “The Inside Story” in her new book about what happens on those occasions (rare these days, it seems) when one writes and mails a personal letter, told from the point of view of an envelope.

I’m sitting cozy in my box,
just dozing every day . . .
Suddenly someone pulls me out.
I hope it’s time to play.

Instead of playtime, the envelope finds himself stuffed, inked, sealed, stamped and mailed. The adventure begins.

Bennett’s illustrations give this envelope loads of personality. Luckily, he has eyes, a mouth and little hands to express himself. The street-corner mailbox, for example, is just plain scary:

Oh, dear!
Is she taking me
to some far distant place.
She opens up a monster door.
I’m trapped in a very dark space.

Our hero joins a crowd of other envelopes, all with eyes that glow in the dark. Some of those eyes are downright menacing. On he goes to the mail truck, mail chute, sorting machine. The mailman delivers him safe and sound, but that isn’t the end of the story. It’s time to be recycled.

I’m at a factory, bundled and stacked,
then spun inside a machine.
They wash and bleach us,
and call us pulp.
I’m dizzy and scared but don’t scream.

The envelope accepts his fate with courage. And, between us, he’s better off in the end than in the beginning because he’s transformed into . . . a surprise ending.

There is some good information here about how the post office works and how recycling works, too. Brodsky includes two pages of discussion questions for teachers and parents, as well as several suggestions for related activities, including some on the theme of change.

“What new uses can you find for scrap paper, newspaper, boxes, bottles, cans, bottle caps or Popsicle sticks? Can you think of new uses for other things?”

And, “Look at old pictures of yourself. What do you notice? Have you changed? Are there any things about you that haven’t changed? What are they?”

Like Brodsky’s first book, “My Bent Tree,” this one started as a poem. The idea for the poem came from a friend’s comment. When Brodsky offered to mail some envelopes, the friend said: “They’ll be very happy.” That sparked the image of happy envelopes and their adventures.

Both of Brodsky’s books are printed on recycled paper.

Kids will love this story - and so will you

By REBECCA RULE
For the Monitor
July/2008

One day, as Kathy Brodsky walked her dog along a familiar route, she noticed a crooked pine tree. And it got her thinking.

Brodsky, who lives in Manchester and works as a therapist and life coach, plays at poetry. In her first book for children, My Bent Tree, work and play merge. The crooked pine reminded her of a childhood illness that changed her life. At age 4, she contracted polio. With the help of her mother, her doctor and rigorous physical therapy, she regained the strength polio had taken away. Furthermore, in her 40 years as a counselor, she has witnessed, again and again, the human struggle to "overcome personal difficulties that started in childhood." The stories her clients have told her "often reveal great courage, inner strength and joy."

A sudden creative insight identified that crooked pine as a living symbol of challenges turned into strength. In My Bent Tree a little girl - maybe 4 - walks in the green and purply woods painted by Cameron Bennett.

One day I was walking . . .

and was so surprised!!

I spotted a bent pine

beside the straight guys.

Another surprise: The tree can talk. He's a cheerful pine, with expressive eyes, brows, mouth and hands shaped within his thick needles. "Who are you?" the little girl asks.

"I am who you see,"

the tree said to me.

"I try to stand tall

and straight as can be. . . ."

A deep bend in his trunk shows where he was stuck by lightning as a young tree. He was wounded, but not killed. Above the wound, he grew straight toward the sky. He's different from the other trees, but strong. "Sometimes we are fine," he tells the little girl, "in spite of our dents."

The story could have ended here, with this message of survival, healing and friendship. But - isn't this always the way - trouble comes in the form of a proposed strip mall that would level the forest for a parking lot. The little girl and her neighbors rally to save their "green." Through protest and compromise, the story comes to a satisfying conclusion.

Brodsky includes questions for discussion - some about people and some about trees. The rhymes will pull young readers into the story, the illustrations will enchant them, and the questions will get them thinking further about what it means to be different, the nature of change and changes in nature. For more information on this locally published book, check mybenttree.com.

My Bent Tree
by Kathy Brodsky
March/2008
Reviewed by Susan M. Andrus
www.midwestbookreview.com

If you have ever wondered how to teach children about activism but lacked the resources that would help further your cause, My Bent Tree presents an opportunity to teach many lessons about diversity, activism, accepting differences, and working for justice.

In this brightly illustrated children's picture book, My Bent Tree leads the reader to appreciate differences in others and how helping them leads to rewards for herself. In this story written in rhyme, a child finds a tree in the woods that she notices is not perfect in every way, but she appreciates its shade and company. Soon, it becomes her favorite tree. Later, when the woods might be cut down to build a strip mall, the child, now a young adult, works with others to lobby against taking down all the trees, and a portion of the woods is set aside for a green space near the strip mall.

As a way to teach activism, ecology, and appreciation of those who are less than perfect, the book ends with two pages of discussion questions that guide teachers and parents in fostering inclusive attitudes toward others rather than discarding or disrespecting those who are less than perfect. Based on the author's own experiences of struggling to overcome the effects of polio and her subsequent work as a social worker, Brodsky's motivation in writing My Bent Tree was to show that "by reaching out and helping others, we also help ourselves."

Author Kathy Brodsky is a psychotherapist, life coach and poet living in New Hampshire. Her first book, Moments in Our Lives published in 2004 is a collection of vignettes told in verse about life's turning points from the birth of a baby through old age.

Illustrator Cameron Bennett has been illustrating children's books since 1977 when he was six years old. My Bent Tree is his first published children's book. He is also a portrait painter, and teaches Argentine Tango. To learn more about Cameron Bennett, go to www.cameronbennettart.com.

Susan M. Andrus
Reviewer