SAMPSON: The Christmas Cat

In a pleasantly traditional format, with lightly washed, anecdotal illustrations, is a mere snatch of a story: how cat Sampson slips in through the kitchen window on Christmas morning; the children feed him and hide him from mother; he mistakes pesky cousin Bert's extra-tong ""tickler"" for a mouse (to the children's cheers)--and gets to stay, if ""he wants to."" With story-book dimensions (6 5/8 x 8 1/8), and a jacket silhouette of Sampson looking in at the Christmas trimmings, this is the kind of book that children will open and readily make their way through. It doesn't really warrant a second look, but it has an offhand charm that contrasts with many strained and elaborate Christmas do-ups.