REVIEW: Here Comes Santa Cat by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Claudia Rueda
Cat took on a bunny in Here Comes the Easter Cat, but now Christmas is coming, and Cat has a hunch he’s not on Santa’s “nice” list. Which means? No presents for Cat. So he tries to be good, but children, it seems, aren’t wild for his brand of gift-giving. Still, Cat might surprise himself, and best of all, he may just get to meet the man in the red suit himself—and receive a holiday surprise of his own. Fans of Pete the Cat, Splat the Cat, Bad Kitty, and Mo Willems’s Elephant and Piggie series will delight in this holiday treat.
Review
Cat is sometimes – no, make that a lot of times – a bit selfish. In true catly fashion, he tends to think of himself first and need gentle nudges to do what he ought to do. Here he thinks that he might be on the naughty list and might not be getting a present from Santa Claus. After pointing out all the cons of being Santa, the narrator has a great suggestion for Cat – why not be nice and do what Santa actually does: do nice things and give presents to others. Cat tries but his technique might need a little work. But as Cat discovers, it’s never to late to be nice.
I love Cat’s “cat” attitude and how his thought processes are a little like those of children. He’s not terribly bad – he just needs a little help in being good. The text and the charming illustrations are easy for children to understand. I laugh each time I read it, too. A-
~Jayne
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