Kit and Kaboodle are two good little kittens, twins who live in a comfortable home with very nice parents and (if they only knew!) Spinka, a mischievous little mouse. Each chapter in this large-format picture book features Spinka playing tricks on the family. In "Sock Mischief," she swipes one of Kit's socks and one of Kaboodle's. After shrinking them in the washer and dryer, she wears them herself. "Baseball Mischief" involves balls that mysteriously go missing before Daddy's game, while in "Bath Mischief," someone pours all Mama's special bubble bath into the tub. Though the feline characters never seem to notice Spinka peeking out from behind a lamp or hiding behind the electric toothbrushes, kids listening to the simply told stories will enjoy spotting her in the big, colorful illustrations, which have a cozy look. Even the mouse's tomfoolery can't disturb the unflappable parents, who happily tuck their kittens into bed that night, while Spinka contentedly falls asleep planning more trouble for tomorrow. Good fun for young children.

Kit and Kaboodle are the stars of Wells' newest series, kitty twins who never make any trouble—but a little mouse named Spinka creates all kinds of mischief for them.Wearing a jaunty red cap, wee Spinka is the villain of this "not me!" story. In three short vignettes, the little mouse creates just a teaspoon of trouble in each. Mama and Daddy immediately blame the twins for each misadventure, while the kitties profess their innocence. Neither adults nor children ever notice the sneaky squeaker, who gleefully relishes her devious behavior. With signature Wells' colors and animal sweetness, the illustrations will have young listeners searching out the impish mouse. The trouble is tiny indeed, as the extent of it is only a slightly stern parent blaming the children for using too much bubble bath or eating one of the chocolate blimpies. Discussions can focus on how Spinka feels left out when she doesn't receive a gift or isn't invited to play baseball. Will Spinka ever be caught? Or is Spinka just an imaginary pot-stirrer? Further ambiguity is introduced when Kit, who wears a dress and pink shoes while Kaboodle sports shorts, is referred to with the same masculine pronoun as their twin. Is it a typo or an exploration of gender ambiguity? Readers will need to wait till the next installment to find out.A brief introduction to good twin kitties and a rascally mouse. (Picture book. 2-5)

PreS-K An odd offering from the prolific Wells. Three short tales feature twin kittens, Kit and Kaboodle (K&K), their parents, and a devious little mouse named Spinka. In the first story, the twins get socks from their grandma, but the sneaky rodent steals the socks from the washing machine. In the second, she swipes baseballs from the bag right before Kit and Kaboodle go play baseball with their dad, and then makes off with a muffin mysteriously called "blimpie." In the third, the critter uses up all of Mama Cat's Parisian bubble bath during K&K's bathtime and uses their electric toothbrush. As "Kit and Kaboodle never made any trouble," they aren't blamed for any of Spinka's doings. The feline family members hardly notice the mouse's misdeeds or the mouse, which makes her acts strangely passive aggressiveSpinka mostly gets mad about being excluded when the cats don't even seem to know she exists. This indifference makes her seem like an imaginary character, but alas she appears to be a real, if somewhat boring, nuisance. Wells's signature illustrations feature wide-eyed almost invariably smiling characters. Frames, word balloons, and solid-colored backgrounds make some pages feel cluttered. VERDICT These bland and largely pointless tales lack Wells's usual deft touch at understanding and depicting compelling and realistic child behavior. A supplementary purchase at best. Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY