Cats in Chaos
Peter Bently and John Bond
Harper Collins Children’s Books

Moggy mayhem it most certainly is in this superb presentation from team Bently and Bond, their laugh-out-loud follow up to Dogs in Disguise.

Peter has taken the predilections of cats and woven them into an action-packed show-stopping treat with all the most entertaining circus acts you could imagine, and many you can’t until you see them in John Bond’s sensational scenes that overflow with warmth and wittiness. There are conjurors, a dog tamer, a cannonball cat, a juggling clown, trapeze artists and an amazing balancing act – look out for a friendly favourite from children’s TV among the throng;

but these are just some of the awesome artists that the mischievous mouse distracts at each and every opportunity.

Peter’s naming of the entertainers is splendidly silly and sometimes alliterative; children will adore even EVEL KATNEVEL ;

his wordplay is wonderful too; then there’s fun onomatopoeia – all this in a cleverly structured rhyming text that trips off the tongue and comes full circle to cats snoozing and snuggling – mostly anyhow.

Share this with a class or group and I guarantee there will be instant cries for an encore and pleas for further repeat performances. Give it to a single child or a few together and they will spend ages pouring over (maybe pawing over) the delicious details of disarray on every spread.