I Want to Be the Kitty: Mutts Collection #8, Vol. 8 »

Patrick McDonnell is the creator of the Mutts comic strip, which is about to celebrate its fifteenth anniversary. He has illustrated for the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Reader's Digest, Time, Parents, and other journals, done CD covers for the Greatest Hits classical music series, and created a license plate for his home state of New Jersey.

I Want to Be the Kitty marks the eighth collection of this award-winning strip and is the follow-up to the successful What Now. As usual, the lovable duo of Earl the dog and his feline friend Mooch can be counted on for charming adventures and out-loud laughs.The sweet and unique friendship of this special dog and kitty comes through in every strip. When Mooch decides one January morning he's going to hibernate by staying in bed all winter, Earl tries desperately to get him out of bed until he finds out himself how "toashty" it is, in the words of Mooch. Next thing you know, Mooch has a bedmate who announces "I'll see ya in March." The two snore though hibernation together-that is, until they are called for dinner.With its expressive art and clever, sometimes philosophical, pet banter, Mutts has built a large and loyal fan base among readers and fellow cartoonists worldwide. The strip has been the discussion topic of Tonight show guests (Brooke Shields), it's earned the National Cartoonists Society's coveted Comic Strip of the Year Award, and it can be found in more than 500 daily newspapers. And now, as a testament to its ever-growing popularity, fans in New Jersey can show their loyalty to the strip-and animal protection-by getting a state license plate complete with Earl and Mooch and the slogan "Animal Friendly." In Mutts, cartoonist Patrick McDonnell has created a classic strip that not only delivers consistent laughs but often a message as well.