Nick Bruel Biography

wife's name Carina.

Addresses

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Roaring Brook Press, 2 Old New Milford Rd., Brookfield, CT 06804.

Career

Cartoonist and children's book author.

Honors Awards

Top-ten finalist, Dr. Seuss Picture-Book Contest, 1993.

Writings

Boing, Roaring Brook Press (Brookfield, CT), 2004.

Bad Kitty, Roaring Brook Press (New Milford, CT), 2005.

Also author of How to Be a Real Good Cartoonist, 2003. Contributor to Syncopated Comics.

Sidelights

Author and cartoonist Nick Bruel brings his quirky sense of humor to bear on children's literature in the picture books Boing and Bad Kitty. Dubbed a "bouncy solo debut" by a Kirkus Reviews contributor, Boing fol-
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lows a young kangaroo as he learns how to jump from his mother. Despite being cheered on by his animal friends rabbit, frog, koala, and grasshopper, the young kanga's hop turns into a flop every time, until it is discovered that he has stuffed his pouch too full of treasures to become sufficiently airborne. Praising the book for its "sunny watercolor and ink cartoons" and its toddler appeal, Horn Book contributor Christine Heppermann added that Boing "is an accomplishment designed to have preschoolers springing from their seats." A Publishers Weekly writer agreed, noting that because "Bruel's cartoons brim with energy and emotion," Boing is "not a book for bedtime."

A delightful romp disguised as an alphabet book, Bad Kitty finds the family cat perplexed when she realizes that her owners have run out of cat food, and when she learns that the only edibles around are both healthy and nutritious, her mood quickly goes from bad to worse. Kitty turns her nose up at the alphabetical array of foods, ranging from asparagus to zucchini, and retaliates with typical bad-cat abandon. Finally her repentant owners restock the kitchen with her favorites, including anchovies, shark sushi, and baked zebra ziti, and bad kitty is transformed into a very, very good kitty. "Even readers who've mastered their ABCs will laugh at Bruel's gleefully composed litanies and the can-you-top-this spirit that animates every page," commented a Publishers Weekly critic, while School Library Journal reviewer Maura Bresnahan concluded that Bad Kitty "will appeal to youngsters who like their stories more naughty than nice." In Kirkus Reviews a contributor predicted that "Even the alphabet-experienced will love this bad, bad kitty!," while Bookpage.com reviewer Lynn Beckwith observed that "Bruel has created a joyfully silly portrait of a picky eater with attitude."