Christmas Kitten, Home at Last

September 1, 2010

Pulver and Johnson team up for a sequel to their Christmas for a Kitten (2003). In that story, Santa rescues a homeless orange kitten and takes him back to the North Pole. The sequel finds Santa at home with his feline friend, newly named Cookie, but alas, poor Santa is allergic to cats. After a quick review of children's Christmas letters, a new home is found for the kitten, and Mrs. Claus drives the sleigh for an additional Christmas Eve delivery. Though the story is long and chatty in tone, the dramatic oil paintings have a striking impact, with varying perspectives and a theatrical sense of staging and lighting to increase the dramatic tension. Those who enjoyed the original story as well as cat-lovers of any age will savor the sweet flavor of Cookie's Christmas chronicle. (Picture book. 4-8)

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October 1, 2010

Gr 1-3-After his annual trip around the world, Santa comes home with a lost kitten he's found along the way. Will Mrs. Claus let him keep Cookie? She might-if only Santa weren't so allergic. Santa is willing to part with the kitten, but only if the perfect home can be found. Johnson's oil paintings are rich with detail and expression, giving life to Cookie and all the North Pole denizens. The artist's careful attention to light and shadow, along with the use of bold primary colors, gives the book a perfect blend of warmth and exuberance. This is a sweet, fun read-aloud for the cat-loving crowd.-Linda Israelson, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2010
Preschool-G In this sequel to Christmas for a Kitten (2003), Santa brings home the kitten discovered while delivering the presents on Christmas Eve, knowing that he cant keep him because he is frightfully allergic. Coincidentally, Santa finds a letter from the parents of a girl who needs a kitten, so two of the reindeer are hitched up for a quick trip to deliver the kitten to the sleeping girl. Although the plot stretches credibility, even for a Christmas story, the illustrations really shine, with scenes and figures rendered in richly colored oils (though the elves are a little creepy, with their awkwardly depicted gesturing).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2011
Santa returns from his Christmas deliveries with a lost kitten named Cookie tucked inside his coat. Sneezy Santa's allergies prevent him from keeping the kitty; a last-minute special request sends Santa out to deliver Cookie to her perfect new home. Rich-hued oil paintings with lots of expression (some poses seem unintentionally menacing) are well suited to this old-fashioned, somewhat sentimental holiday story.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)