Merry Christmas, Splat!

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Fluffy cat in a fluffy and sweet holiday tale.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know there’s nothing to worry about in this holiday story. Parents might grumble at Splat’s focus on getting a big present, but that provides an opening to talk with your kids about the value of a gift.

  • Not applicable.
  • Splat has last-minute doubts about whether he’s been good enough for a Christmas present, and does his earnest best to be as good as he can be. On the other hand, his primary concern is getting a big present.

What's the story?

When Splat asks for a really big present, his sister gives him last-minute doubts: “Are you sure you’ve been good?” Worried, Splat tackles jobs that don’t need doing in hopes of ensuring he’ll measure up. He stays up all night, waiting for Santa so he can tell him how good he’s been. But when Christmas morning dawns, there’s been no sign of Santa. Was Splat good enough?


Is it any good?

 

As with his earlier books featuring endearing Splat, Rob Scotton’s story plays second fiddle to the fun illustrations. Here they play well to the deadpan text. Kids will giggle at the alarm in his mother’s face when Splat announces his intentions. And the spread where Santa slips, unnoticed, right past the wide-eyed cat will have them in stitches. The color palette -- mostly black-and-white with subtle coloring and bright pops of red and green -- adds to the appeal.
Kids will relate to Splat’s worries -- and his wish for a big gift. Grownups worn out by the holiday gimme-gimmes may wince.

Whimsical artwork is full of delightful touches.


Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about being good. Is Splat being very helpful when he tries to be extra good? What else could he have done to help his mother? In addition to helping, what else could he do to be good?

  • Splat worries at the last minute that he hasn’t been good enough for Santa to come. He probably didn’t have anything to worry about. But if he hadn’t been good, do you think it’s enough to be good just on Christmas Eve?

  • Splat wants “a really big present.” Do you think a present has to be big to be good? Can you think of small things that make really good presents?

  • What do you think is inside the box Splat opens?


This review was written by Darienne Stewart
Educator
January 26, 2011
 
A Fun Christmas Story
This children’s book is the story of a furry black male cat named Splat. It is Christmas Eve, and Splat is not sure he has been good enough for Santa to bring him a BIG present. He tries to score a few extra points at the last minute with Santa and Mom in the usually Splat manner. Splat and friends are adorable! Splat’s worries whether he’s been good enough reminds me of my own thoughts as a child the night before Christmas. The colorful illustrations in this book are what drew me to read it. I recommend this book for age 6 and under. It is a fun Christmas story that most children can identify with.

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Darienne Stewart
Author:Rob Scotton
Illustrator:Rob Scotton
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Holiday
Publisher:HarperCollins Children's Books
Publication date:September 22, 2009
Number of pages:40
Hardcover price:$16.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):3 - 7
Read aloud:3
Read alone:6

This review was written by Darienne Stewart
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

 

vote now

Will you read Merry Christmas, Splat!?


Already read it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it