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The Bill the Cat Story: A Bloom County Epic

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The Bill the Cat Story: A Bloom County Epic

eBook(NOOK Kids)

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eBook(NOOK Kids)
$7.99

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Overview

The Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the hilarious "Bloom County" comic strip is back! To help celebrate, here is the first ever Bloom County picture book, featuring fan-favorite Bill the Cat in an origin story. (Ack ack!) The perfect gift for Bloomers old and new.

An Amazon Best Book of the Year and NY Times bestseller!

Almost thirty-five years ago Berkeley Breathed launched a little-known yet laugh-inducing comic strip called "Bloom County" that was full of characters who instantly entered the public consciousness--none more so than Opus (the penguin) and Bill the Cat. Bloom County's popularity soared, it was soon syndicated nationally, had millions of daily readers, and before long its creator was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. Then, nine years later, "Bloom County" sadly came to a close. It had simply ceased being fun for Berkeley Breathed.

Now, more than twenty-five years after it ended, "Bloom County" has returned in full force and humor online, with an ever-growing fanbase every bit as zealous as it was in the strip's heyday. For the comic's youngest fans, and for those who never stopped wishing for its return, here is an all-new, kid-friendly story for anyone who ever wanted to know the origin story of Bill the Cat. "Bloom County" has never been more fun!

Praise for The Bill the Cat Story

"The illustrations, a mixture of cartoons, eye-popping virtual paintings, and pencil sketches, will pull inquisitive audiences of all ages into the story."--Booklist

"[E]xtravagantly rendered artwork in luscious color."--Publishers Weekly

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399546785
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/13/2016
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	43 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Berkeley Breathed (www.berkeleybreathed.com) is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the renowned comic strips "Bloom County," "Outland," and "Opus" which have appeared in over 1,200 newspapers worldwide and have earned Berkeley millions of loyal fans. He recently decided to bring back "Bloom County" after a 25-year absence and has been overwhelmed by the response--and by how much fun he is having. Berkeley Breathed is also the creator of the illustrated novel Flawed Dogs and the New York Times bestselling picture books Mars Needs Moms! and Pete & Pickles. He lives and works in Santa Barbara, California.

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07/11/2016
The heart wants what the heart wants, and in this origin story readers learn that Binkley, the human fulcrum of Breathed’s Bloom County, really wanted a cat that looks like it’s suffering from a combination of the world’s worst hangover and the world’s worst hair ball. But the newly named Bill (“it rhymed with daffodil and landfill, which somehow felt perfect”) has another interim destiny before becoming Binkley’s pet, and it’s almost Dickensian. Snatched from Binkley’s hands, Bill obliviously bounces from a role as a “North Pole sled cat” to becoming a snack for extraterrestrials—until the aliens mistake Bill for Garfield (one of Bloom County’s longest-running jokes) and deposit him back on Earth, setting in motion a reunion with Binkley. Opus, kindhearted to a fault as always, plays a small but crucial role, giving Bill a pair of smiley-face tighty whities that prove key to the happy ending. Unless readers are fanatical followers (and granted, there are plenty of those), the overall impact of this book is as ephemeral as a “Thbbft,” and mostly offers a chance to appreciate Breathed’s extravagantly rendered artwork in luscious color. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

An Amazon Best Book of the Year!

"The illustrations, a mixture of cartoons, eye-popping virtual paintings, and pencil sketches, will pull inquisitive audiences of all ages into the story."—Booklist

"[E]xtravagantly rendered artwork in luscious color."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

12/01/2016
K-Gr 2-Binkley is a lonely kid who instantly falls in love with a cat; unfortunately for him, though, his pet happens to be the brainless Bill the Cat. Modern audiences might not understand that Bill the Cat and his friend Opus the Penguin come from the old comic strip Bloom County; this may alienate some, but a deep understanding of the characters isn't necessary to enjoy the story. Bill is then quickly taken away from Binkley, leaving the boy to pine for his friend while his cat goes on an epic journey. Full-page scenes depicting Bill's many adventures, from leading his cat sled team to herding a group of elephants, certainly make the book. Brightly colored and detailed and drawn in Breathed's signature style, the images will delight fans and newcomers alike. With Opus reuniting Bill with his boy, Breathed focuses on the warmth of his characters and wackiness of the tale rather than on the satire of most of his comics. VERDICT Probably more enjoyable for adults than for kids, this title is an additional purchase.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

2016-07-02
An all-new Bill the Cat origin story helps relaunch Bloom County. Eight years after Pete & Pickles (2008), Breathed’s last picture book, the cartoonist returns to well-trod material in what seems to be the hope of attracting the attention of parents who grew up with his comic strip. In search of a best friend, a white boy named Binkley instantly bonds with a kitty at the Pedigree Schmedigree Animal Shelter. Unfortunately, Bill is already bound for a life as a sled cat in the snowy North Pole. From there, he wanders the globe with little logic, making his mark on the megafauna of the savanna, cat worshippers, and earthling-abducting extraterrestrials, until he is finally delivered to his waiting boy. The scene periodically shifts to a lonely Binkley and Opus the penguin. Filled with copious visual gags and an all-white cast (even, apparently, the cat worshippers that build like the Egyptians and dress in stereotypical Middle Eastern garb), the book is an extended ode to Bloom County as a “Simpler Time, Kinder Place.” As a product, the book has a frantic energy that makes it a perfectly decent gift for those adults who have long missed the antics of Binkley, Opus, and the rest, but it will mean little and be of even less interest to actual child readers. As Bill the Cat would say, “Ack.” (Picture book. 4-8)

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