It's Me. (Catwad Series #1)

by Jim Benton

Overview

An all-new series from New York Times bestselling author, Jim Benton!

From New York Times bestselling author Jim Benton, meet Catwad! He's blue, he's a bit of a grouch, and his best friend is a dim-witted cat named Blurmp who can see the bright side of anything. From pizza and computers, to love and happiness, this crabby tabby has a funny take on just about everything, and he's not afraid to share it. This collection of short comic stories will make even the grumpiest of grouches crack up and is not to be missed!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338326024
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/26/2019
Series:	Catwad Series , #1
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	71,743
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	GN540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jim Benton is an award-winning author and artist. You may know some of the other things he's made, like It's Happy Bunny, Dear Dumb Diary, Franny K. Stein, Victor Shmud, and more. He's created a TV series, written books, and produced a movie, and he always did everything his parents told him to do. Pretty much. Jim lives in Michigan with his wife and kids and can be found online at jimbenton.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/21/2019

This playful collection of graphic-format short stories follows the adventures of two dissimilar cats—grumpy and cynical Catwad and happy-go-lucky Blurmp—who also happen to be best friends. From mistaking mosquitos for fairy unicorns to naming a virus (“I think I’ll call her ‘Sniffleen’ ”), Blurmp’s optimistic take on everything can be too much for Catwad. But whenever the grumpy Gus needs a reminder that the world is not as bad as he thinks, Blurmp is there to put a smile on his face—if only for a second. Throughout, humorous prose and bright illustrations by Benton (the Dear, Dumb Diary series) add to the amusement for each tale. While the Garfield-and-Odie-style humor may not be everyone’s cup of tea, younger readers in particular are sure to enjoy Catwad and Blurmp’s friendship. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

03/01/2019

Gr 3–6—A series of short, fast-paced cartoons follow Catwad, a grouchy blue feline who is friends with a cat named Blurmp (who is not the sharpest knife in the drawer). Much of the humor feels like sketch comedy or even vaudeville. There is physical, scatological, and gross-out humor, as well as jokes at the expense of one or both of the cats. Characters fall down, get crushed, turn themselves inside out, or have popsicles stuck in their ears. Benton's artwork bursts with color and will pull in reluctant readers like moths to a flame. While readers who are too young might not get the jokes and older ones might find the tales too silly, many will find them hilarious. VERDICT Grumpy Cat meets The Odd Couple, for kids who like to laugh.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

2018-11-21

Catwad's a blue-gray cat. His best friend Blurmp's a sunny, orange-colored cat. Both have dispositions to match their pelts.

Benton's collection of comic strips, some only a page of panels but others stretching to seven pages, offers humor in the odd-couple vein. Direct descendants of Ren and Stimpy, cantankerous Catwad and airheaded Blurmp trade quips back and forth, spouting nonsense, often with a child-pleasing disgusting edge. Each ministory has a title. In "Love," Blurmp announces an all-encompassing love for "everything." Catwad demands, "Well, what about hatred?" After a lengthy think, Blurmp affirms that "everything" includes hatred, trumping Catwad's incredulity with, "I love you. And hatred is your favorite thing." "Stop wrecking hate for me!" Catwad screams. In "The Cold," when Catwad tells an ailing Blurmp that the virus is inside him, Blurmp makes the (il)logical leap to pregnancy and names the supposed fetal virus Sniffleen, later framing her "baby pictures." "Are those all old Kleenexes?" Catwad asks. And so on. Farts, rat sweat, giant mosquitoes—it's all in there. The full-color comics show the two wildly expressive cats on plain or patterned backgrounds, Catwad with a perpetual frown and Blurmp with a vapid grin.

It's sketch-comedy nonsense, but preteens will be onboard immediately and asking for the next volume at the close of this short collection. (Graphic fiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews

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