Totally Disgusting!

Whoever heard of a name like Mewkiss! Ugh! How can a "Mewkiss" be brave? Why couldn't my Jessica call me "fearless" or "Ratkiller"? And why do I have to share a tub with a barky puppy named Barkus? Actually...its nice to have somebody to cuddle up to. My real problem is rats. Two scary rats in the storm cellar are plotting to attack Jessica! What's a kitten to do? How do I find the courage to protect the person I love?

Award-winning author Bill Wallace (1947 – 2012) started writing after a tough year of teaching fourth graders. As he says, "Trying to read to a class of 25 kids who aren't listening is downright MISERABLE. Finally, students asked me to tell stories about when I was growing up. I soon ran out of these, so they decided I should make up new stories. I became a writer so I could survive my first year as a teacher. The class loved the stories I wrote for them and persuaded me to get somebody to make us a real book." He lived in Oklahoma with his wife Carol, with whom he collaborated on several books.

Leslie Morril has illustrated children's book for all ages. He lives in Madison, Connecticut.