The Scariest Kitten in the World is a hilarious picture book by Terrifying Kitten (and help from Kate Messner) and illustrated by MacKenzie Haley in the vein of Sesame Street’s The Monster at the End of This Book. The theme is we have a not-so-scary kitten and a not-too-terrifying haunted house that is explored by a few (unseen) kids/possible narrator.
The narrator takes us slowly down a spooky corridor, to a spooky sound where we find the spooky… okay adorable little monster stands … okay it is a freaking adorable kitten. And well, nobody is really scared, so in come some reinforcements. Which does not turn out as hoped. That is until the end. Overall, you pretty much know that nothing really scary is going to happen, but there are spots where things might be a little tense for the younger or sensitive reader. However, I would not worry too much. The illustrations help calm things down. Even though there is darkness, or shadows, there are lights and details to help keep things lighter. (A review calls them “not so dark cartoon illustrations”). And of course, once you see what the big bad spooky things are, well, our imaginations are worse than reality.
I am a fan of the author Messner (who has created books for all ages), but did not think I was familiar with the illustrator, Haley. However, they were the ones that illustrated Dolly Parton’s Billy the Kid Makes It Big by Parton (which I have read and enjoyed) and The Ninja Club Sleepover by Laura Gehl (which I have not read, therefore, have not enjoyed yet). So, you can find something else to read before late August/early September 2023 when we will see this book on shelves. I read it (twice) via an online reader copy.
