Chief architect Marmalade (an orange tabby) and her team of adorable house cats, having proved themselves by building the mayor's new mansion (Kitten Construction Company: Meet the House Kittens, 2018), are contracted to replace the old Mewberg bridge. Their plans move forward until masonry and lumber expert Professor Von Wigglebottom (a Siamese) reminds Marmalade that bridges are, in fact, built over water, which sends her into a panic. Despite the best efforts of their fearless plumber, Bubbles (a white Persian), the cats are forced to outsource help. Enter Carl Barks and his canine crew of Demo Doggos ch to Marmalade's distaste. Continuing his playful premise, Green delivers another gentle, hilarious tale rife with the kind of interspecies competition that both cat- and dog-lovers will revel in, though the real winners here are the punsters, who will gorge on a veritable feast of wordplay. The art remains colorful and slightly cartoonish ese animals are animals, despite being intelligent and able to use tools d pages fit at most two panels, making this an excellent choice for graphic novel newbies.

Gr 2-4 In the first series installment, the House Kittens gained the trust of the city after working on the mayor's mansion. Now the cats' work on the Mewburg stadium is nearing completion, and Marmalade and her crew have been offered an exciting new gig. A local bridge is falling apart, and a new one needs to be built. Who better than the House Kittens to take on the job? The cats don't take into account that building a bridge means working near water, and only Bubbles, the plumber cat, is comfortable with that. Marmalade sends Bubbles out to lead the crew, but it's not long before the kittens are behind schedule. Additional help is required, and at last they resort to working with the Demo Doggos. Tensions mount as the two teams clash, until Marmalade concedes that she wrongly assumed that dogs aren't as capable as cats. The message of the importance of giving others a fair shake and refraining from snap judgments is clear but not preachy. There are plenty of puns, and visual humor abounds, like when a cat knocks the microphone off the podium during a press conference. Green's illustrations are adorable and easy to follow, making this title a good pick for burgeoning comics fans. VERDICT This graphic novel strikes a balance between funny and heartfelt. It's paws-itively a great buy for most collections. Gretchen Hardin, Bee Cave Public Library, TX