Book Nook: Bathing Kitty and Other Mischievous Poems

 From feeding dog food to a little brother, to destroying each other’s toys, to observing nose-pickers in church, nothing is off-limits in L. W. Lewis’s collection of amusing poetry, Bathing Kitty. Told from the unfiltered perspective of a child, the short, whimsical observations are meant to draw young readers in with entertaining, humorous verses that can help young minds think beyond the nuts and bolts of standard prose. Bathing Kitty blends clever wordplay with easy-to-remember rhymes to help build reading confidence and create verses that are fun to say aloud — again and again!

 

Bathing Kitty covers the spectrum of childhood’s mischievous mayhem, with poems about applying lipstick to the cat, getting bubbles in your butt and eating insects. Intended for audiences from grades 4 through 6, the verses take a serious turn at the end, with The Not-Too-Funny Section, which features three touching tributes to the author’s military legacy and the contributions of our armed forces.  

 

Along the way, Lewis manages to sneak in subtle lessons about the importance of having high ideals and good morals — undercurrents that should have an impact yet go unnoticed by all but the most perceptive of children.

 

Bathing Kitty can help children cultivate a penchant for poetry and build confidence in their reading skills, and can teach all of us the value of viewing the lighter side of life with an ounce of whimsy and a pound of humor.  

 

Winner of the Bronze Award for Poetry from the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, Bathing Kitty is the fifth collection of poems from L. W. Lewis. His other books include The Tickle Tree and Why Do Flies Eat Doggie Poop? Lewis was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a retired U.S. Air Force pilot and navigator. He was assigned to B-52's during the Vietnam War and later flew fighters with the Flying Tigers. He was an Air Force instructor pilot. While assigned as an adviser to the U.S. Army, he attended Army jump school and has made 268 military parachute jumps. He earned a B.S. degree from the University of Miami in Florida and a master’s degree from Oklahoma City University. His introduction to poetry began in the sixth grade and has been a part of his life ever since.

 

Lewis provides fun-filled, interactive poetry readings in schools (at no charge), where he uses his contagious enthusiasm to ignite the interests of children in this type of literature.