Gr 2-4-Australian actor Alan King narrates four novellas by Gilliam Rubinstein about Jake and Pete, brothers from the same cat litter. Although their mum tries to teach them how to hunt for mice, the boys have a problem. Pete can't see very well and Jake has a minimal sense of smell. After Mum sends them off to make their own way, the "kitkids" set off on a series of adventures, culminating in the formation of a family, albeit an unusual one. In the second tale, the kitkids meet two lost dogs and a drain boggart named Bog. Bog is in charge of the Garden of Lost Things, where lost objects tell you to whom they belong. He takes wonderful care of Jake and Pete and, ultimately, both kittens decide to stay with Bog. In the next story they learn "catrobatics" in a traveling circus, and in the final tale they are invited to a magpie wedding, a great honor. During this story, Bog soothes the sibling rivalry that flares up between the kitkids. Pete finds a pair of glasses at the Garden and Jake miraculously learns to smell after an allergy attack. Bog is saddened, knowing they won't want to stay in the drains with him any longer. King is an enthusiastic narrator, reading with great verve and humor. His rendition of Bog and his bizarre song-poems is truly endearing, and different animals have appropriate accents (such as the rough burr of the Scottish terrier). The stories are separated with charming music and various yowling cats.-B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Memorial Library, Harbor, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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