Magical—a perfect snuggle-up read for Christmas Eve.
Fantasy author Wimsett’s debut picture book reimagines the Christmas legend with Santa as a cat.
When children go to bed on Christmas Eve, they dream of presents left under the tree by the jolly, magical person we call Santa. Everyone knows the story, but is it really possible that so rotund and aged a man could skip across rooftops and slip down chimneys with such nimble ease? Wimsett proposes an altogether more plausible possibility: Santa is, in fact, a ginger tabby, and his sleigh is pulled by five enchanted mice (“The mice are fed, / A special milk, / With honey spread on top”). Mrs. Katie Cat, a longhaired grey tabby, is in charge of logistics. Through her network of blinking and winking household cat spies, she keeps track of what presents are wanted by children around the world. She plots Santa Cat’s course on Christmas Eve and tracks him via satellite, checking her list to see that no child is left out. When children leave gifts of milk for Santa Cat, he takes some home in his flask to share with Mrs. Cat. The author narrates this new take on the Christmas legend through well-measured iambic heptameter; the rhymes are mostly unforced, and the meter remains consistent (the reader is occasionally obliged to drawl an extra syllable into words such as “smiles” and “Ireland”). The central conceit is both whimsical and joyous—very much in keeping with the Christmas spirit—and is brought to life by Fouchard’s dreamy, digitally painted illustrations. These are resplendent in their Christmas colors and evoke the slightly pixilated, soft-focus blur of greeting cards. In addition to depicting endearing central characters, Fouchard renders unique and imaginative background details, such as the toys of Santa Cat’s workshop or the flames in Santa and Mrs. Cat’s fireplace. Children are few in the story but reflect a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Where darker backdrops preclude the natural placing of black-inked text, a striking contrast is achieved by setting said text within superimposed snowdrift bubbles.
Magical—a perfect snuggle-up read for Christmas Eve.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781990720048
Page Count: 36
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 6, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.
Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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