School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--5--Meet Kitty Sweet Tooth, a young purple cat whose fondness for all things sugary never gets in the way of good dental hygiene--one of the book's first scenes shows her getting kudos from her dentist, Dr. Shine. When Kitty discovers that Pop-Pop is about to sell his theater, she steps in to become the theater manager and convert the dilapidated cinema into a combination restaurant and movie house. She enlists the help of a scientist named Dr. Battina Redwing and her collaborator, Walter Witch, and together they get the theater ready to reopen. For their first film, they whip up Mega-Expanding Jelly, but an accidental spill causes the dessert to go haywire and soon the guests are swimming in a sea of jelly! Fortunately Kitty's quick thinking saves the theater from a total gelatin fiasco. Readers will salivate over the magical snacks, and adults will get a chuckle out of the clever film references (Planet of the Crepes, for instance). Despite Kitty's best efforts, each new snack and movie combo causes a surprising and hilarious debacle that must be solved by the trio of clever entrepreneurs. Utomaru's bold line art and vibrant illustrations fill each page with lively, magical scenes; eagle-eyed readers will spot hidden details. Text and dialogue are placed in distinct, easy-to-read speech bubbles and text boxes, perfect for young readers. The world is filled with an enormous variety of creatures, most of whom are animals, though Walter Witch is a human with green skin. The plot for a sequel is teased in the last few frames of the story and instructions for a combination snack and science experiment are included on the final pages. VERDICT A sweet treat of a story that's sure to satisfy chapter book readers.--Laken Hottle, Providence Community Lib.
Publisher's Weekly Review
If there's one thing Kitty Sweet Tooth, a lavender, green-eyed cat in a yellow dress, loves more than eating desserts and going to the dentist, it's visiting Pop-Pop at his Sweet Shop and watching movies at his Wonder Palace. But when she learns that Pop-Pop plans to sell the theater, Kitty thinks up a solution: "You can combine my two favorite things, sweets and movies." Willing to entertain her idea for a month, Pop-Pop dubs Kitty the new theater manager. Teaming up with a magical duo, local scientist Dr. Battina Redwing and green-skinned humanoid Walter Witch, Kitty relaunches the theater as Taste-O-Rama, serving up such film pairings as flavor-changing cotton candy and Infinicrepe Cake. But things quickly go awry when magic and science mix. Filled with cinematic confections ("Planet of the Crepes"), Denson's sweet adventure will please movie and dessert lovers alike. Bold line art and vivid colors by Utomaru enhance this candy-coated comedy. Back matter includes a recipe for making rock candy. Ages 6--10. (Apr.)
Kirkus Review
Kitty rejuvenates an aging movie theater by converting it to a combination movie house and restaurant. When Kitty Sweet Tooth--a purple cat who loves sweets and (fortunately) visiting the dentist--learns that Pop-Pop's considering selling his movie theater, she begs him not to and pitches screenings with paired movies and sweets. He gives her one month as manager to try it out. To help with the culinary confections, Kitty recruits Dr. Battina (a pink bat--not a mad scientist, just misunderstood) and her collaborator, a green-skinned humanoid witch named Walter. After spiffing the theater up (with both hard work and magic), the team holds a showing each week, the food going wrong in a mild way (usually resulting in large quantities of sweets supersizing to flood the theater) and the heroes having to think quickly (and get extra mouths) to fix it. Though the storyline is repetitive and low-stakes, the vibrant, full-color palette and the silly dessert action (and parody puns for adults reading along--Planet of the Crepes, anyone?) result in stress-free escapism for sensitive readers. The art's cartoony and clear, showing off a wide variety of cutely rounded animals, and it uses occasional breaks from panels for strategic (and charming) double-page spreads. After their trial month of successes, Pop-Pop decides to keep the theater; as a sequel hook, Kitty announces she'll make a movie of her own. Instructions for DIY rock candy close the experience. A sugar-sweet burst of sunshine for new readers. (Graphic fantasy. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
