RA RA READ: Graphic Kitty (and other) Cuteness

I made this list back in 2016ish originally, I think, and I haven't updated it but it still comes up occasionally.

Several years ago I had a sudden influx of Chi's Sweet Home-obsessed girls in the summer and put together this list of read-alikes with some help from my friends at the GNLIB listserv. Note these are only titles owned by my library - I don't include titles that aren't available to my patrons (and rarely ones at other libraries in our consortium because so many kids aren't able to grasp the concept of holds).

• Chi's Sweet Home by Konami Konata
• This series is complete and currently being published in omnibus editions; there are two additional series, Fukufuku Kitten and coming out soon, Chi's Sweet Adventures. It's a simple manga in color, detailing the little adventures of a kitten and his new family. I have had one parent object to the use of the word "piss" but I just explained that this series comes from a culture with different cultural standards (and didn't tell them that pretty much the entire first three books are all about house training and Chi's name actually means "peepee") and found them other cute cat books instead. There is also an anime series, which I put in teen, and an AmazonPrime series.
• Miss Annie by Frank le Gall

• There are, sadly, only two volumes of Miss Annie's adventures. They are similar to Chi's Sweet Home, being about a kitten growing up, but they are a little more serious as the kitten encounters the sometimes sad and dangerous world outside her home and the pictures are more in the European art style, rather than manga.
• My Pet Human by Yasmine Surovec
• This is a heavily illustrated beginning chapter book. It's sweet and adorable and very similar to Chi's Sweet Home. There is one sequel, My pet human takes center stage, and Surovec has written several picture books and little comics in a similar vein.
• Fluffy Fluffy Cinnamoroll by Yumi Tsukirino
• These are about midway between Hello Kitty and Chi's Sweet Home. They are about little cloud dogs in a baking shop. There are five volumes and they are still (last time I checked) in print. They are an original manga, so they go from right to left, but kids don't seem to care about that.
• Happy Happy Clover by Sayuri Tatsuyama

• This is a five volume cute manga very similar to Cinnamoroll, but it's about bunnies in a magical forest.
• Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma
• This doesn't have animals, but it's got the cute factor in spades. There are 13 volumes of this manga.
• Binky by Ashley Spires
• Binky is cute in a more quirky/icky way. He's a "space cat" that battles aliens (bugs). The art style is less cute and more funny. There are additional titles as well as the original "Binky" series.
• Hello Kitty by Jacob Chabot et. al.
• This isn't really an animal story, but it has the cute factor. It's a little younger than most of the kids who want this series, but it's worth trying.