The Secret Life of Walter Kitty Read online

  THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK

  PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2007 by Barbara Jean Hicks

  Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Dan Santat

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  KNOPF, BORZOI BOOKS, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  www.randomhouse.com/kids

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Hicks, Barbara Jean.

  The secret life of Walter Kitty / by Barbara Jean Hicks ; illustrated by Dan Santat. — 1st ed. p. cm.

  SUMMARY: Walter, an ordinary house cat, fantasizes about the daring adventures of his alter ego, Fang.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-98517-1 (eBook)

  [1. Cats—Fiction. 2. Humorous stories.] I. Santat, Dan, ill. II. Title. PZ7.H53153Se 2007 [E]—dc22

  2006001280

  The illustrations in this book were created in mixed media (ink and acrylic) and Photoshop.

  v3.1

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  First Page

  About the Author

  My Person doesn’t know it, but my real name is Fang.

  That’s her now. Mrs. Biddle. If I’ve told her once, I’ve told her a thousand times …

  MY NAME IS FANG!

  Wally?

  Okay, so once in a good long while, I answer to “Wally.”

  That’s Mr. Biddle. He lives with us. I don’t like it, but for my Person’s sake I put up with him.

  I don’t know what Mrs. Biddle would do without me. If I didn’t help around the house, she’d be

  washing dishes

  and dusting shelves

  and sweeping floors till the cows came home.

  Does she say thank you?

  Hardly.

  Ha. If she doesn’t want my help, I’ll help Mr. Biddle.

  You’d think he’d be grateful for my hard work

  shaking the rug

  and making the bed

  and doing the crossword puzzle.

  Does he say thank you?

  Not even.

  All right, then. If they don’t want my help, I’ll help myself.

  All that helping wears me out …

  Captain Fang to the rescue!

  And Mrs. Biddle wakes me from the most delicious dream.

  Kitten?

  Okay, so once in a great long while, I answer to “Kitten.”

  Catnip puts me in the mood to show Mr. Biddle a thing or two in the garden.

  We plant.

  We prune.

  We weed …

  Does Mr. Biddle care?

  Nincompoop? How many times do I have to say it?

  MY NAME IS FANG!

  I slink inside to tell Mrs. Biddle about it.

  Uh-oh. If I don’t get busy now with my super-duper-self-clean-scrub-brush tongue, I’m in trouble. Tub trouble. Soap. Bubbles. Water.

  I get busy right away.

  After my bath, I feel a nap coming on …

  And Mr. Biddle shakes me out of my best dream yet.

  Nightmare?

  Snookums?!

  Baby?!!

  Then Mrs. Biddle lifts me up and sets me down on her big, soft lap and finds the exact spot under my chin that wants a good, hard skritching.…

  I confess. Once in a very great long while, I answer to “Baby.”

  But most of the time …

  I’m Fang.

  BARBARA JEAN HICKS wanted to be a world-famous singer, but instead pursued her other dream: to be an author and a writer-in-residence at an elementary school. Her children’s books include Jitterbug Jam, illustrated by Alexis Deacon, an ALA Notable Children’s Book, and I Like Colors and I Like Black and White, both illustrated by Lila Prap.

  Barbara Jean Hicks lives in California.

  Visit her at www.barbarajeanhicks.com.

  DAN SANTAT dreamed of being a wrestler of great repute, but decided to become an artist instead. He is the author-illustrator of Guild of Geniuses and the illustrator of the Otto Undercover books, written by Rhea Perlman. He is also the creator of The Replacements, a cartoon show on Disney Channel.

  Dan Santat lives in California.

  Visit him at www.dantat.com

 

 

  Barbara Jean Hicks, The Secret Life of Walter Kitty

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