Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Going to Sleep?

January 24, 2011
In this cheerful follow-up to Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up? a rambunctious gray kitty has plenty of excuses for not getting ready for bed, despite Mother's persistence. When she inquires, "Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat,/ did you wash your face?" bathtubbing Kitty Cat plays with a rocket ship and replies, "Not yet, Mother,/ I'm in outer space." And when she asks if Kitty Cat has brushed her teeth, the pajama-clad Kitty hides under Mother's lounge chair, clawing at the fabric, "Not yet, Mother,/ come look underneath!" But story time and lullabies finally have Kitty Cat relenting, "Okay, Mother,/ I guess it's time for bed." Bryant depicts Kitty Cat and Mother's nightly rituals with soothing watercolor and colored pencil spreads, while Martin and Sampson's call-and-response verse is upbeat, even while the action simmers down as bedtime approaches. Those who similarly postpone the inevitable will relate to the feline's playful protest, and close-up images of Kitty Cat curled in a cozy pile of patterned blankets will have even adamant bedtime-naysayers stifling yawns. Ages 3–8.