Spooftacular Cat and Mouse Thriller
Written: Sep 26 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Humorous tale, unique illustrations
Cons: Hmmm...
The Bottom Line: A quirky spoof of a classic sure to bemuse young and old readers alike.
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| BeeCharmer's Full Review: Dav Pilkey - Kat Kong: Starring Flash, Rabies, and... |
Kat Kong is an unusual, silly tale made to resemble a motion picture flick rather than a mere child’s picture book. This quirky Dav Pilkey tale stars the very talented mousy entourage of Flash as Professor Varmint, Rabies as Rosie Rodent, Dwayne as the unsinkable Captain Charles Limburger, and introduces Blueberry (feline domesticus) as the Monster—all of whom are pets residing with the author.
Readers are greeted with cover art reminiscent of an old King Kong movie poster; yet rather than a huge gorilla towering over a New York City landscape, there is an enormous black and white cat, mouth agape and mouse gripped in one paw.
It is a clever blend of manipulated photography, acrylic painting, and collage accompanied by creative, zany text that Pilkey treats readers to. But the fun doesn't stop there, it continues with nonstop lampoonery throughout this account of mousy terror and extraordinarily amusing satire of the classic thriller, King Kong.
This particular cat and mouse character spoof, however, is not for the youngest reader, as the full color illustrative story reads more like an old-time radio show, rife with tongue-in-cheek puns, parodies and one liners.
Silly text and humorous portrayals abound, such as mouse natives offering up a sacrificial can of tuna while chanting, “Heeeer, Ki-tee Ki- tee!," subsequently trapping Kat Kong, and being careful not to “let the cat of the bag.” And as per the original, eventually, Kat Kong escapes, taking a mouse hostage and climbing to the top of the “Romano Inn” building — only to fall to his death (immortalized by “He’s fallen and he can’t get up” and “Curiosity killed the cat!").
Anyhoo, it is just my opinion that much of the above humor would most likely be lost on the littlest ones, a theory proven out by my youngsters. While my ten-year-old wholeheartedly enjoys the humor and amusing references, my four-year-old still finds more enjoyment in the perusal of the book’s telling illustrations in keeping up with the gist of the story.
Another drawback to sharing this tale with the youngest crowd is the finality of its ending; our protagonist dies. Thus, ultra-sensitive children may want to take a pass on this tale and look to Pilkey’s more uplifting story spoof, Dogzilla for a happier ending. A tale that also spotlights an equally unique illustrative spread, complete with the author’s array of mousy companions, but introducing youngsters to his beguiling corgi, Leia.
This book has been rated TS for ‘Terribly Silly’ and might contain material that is too silly for grown-ups, no animals were harmed in the making of this book.
King Kong is a tale geared toward juvenile readers and animal-loving adults alike who possess a healthy sense of humor. Pilkey’s inventive and amusing take on the adventures of Mousopolis in Kat Kong is sure to bring about giggles and grins aplenty.
Recommended:
Yes
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BeeCharmer
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