Stocking Stuffer: Merry Christmas, Splat! by Rob Scotton

DEAR SANTA,

CAN I HAVE A REALLY BIG PRESENT FOR CHRISTMAS?

THANK YOU,
SPLAT

P.S. I have been a very good cat.

Proud of his expansive letter to Santa, Splat can't resist showing it off to his sister.

"Only REALLY good cats get really big presents from Santa," she said.

"Are you SURE you have been good?"

"Of course," said Splat.

She gave Splat a look that only a little sister can give.

" R-E-A-L-L-Y?"

His sister's words plant a seed of doubt in Splat's self-image. Has he really been that good this year? He decides he needs a little Santa insurance.

"Mom! I'm going to help you get ready for Christmas!" he informs his mother. And Splat is as good as his word. He enthusiastically washes the Christmas dishes, stacking them precariously all over the sudsy kitchen, even though his mom had already taken care of that chore. Splat adds so many ornaments to one side of the tree that it threatens to collapse under the weight, and setting out to clear the snow on the doorstep, he opens the door to an avalanche of the white stuff.

"Being so good is very tiring," observes the super-good Splat, turning in early with his trusty flashlight to make sure that Santa comes through with his really big present. Of course, Santa is as sly as Splat is self-assured, and the gift arrives practically under Splat's whiskered nose as Santa makes us co-conspirators with a shushing finger to his lips as, unseen, he whisks a really big present right beneath Splat's tree.

In this third adventure in the Splat the Cat series, titled Merry Christmas, Splat (Splat the Cat), Rob Scotton's young cat character bristles with energy and impetuous high spirits as always, fairly bursting off the page in Scotton's stylized but oh-so-faithfully-feline portrayals. Other books in this series include Splat the Cat and Love, Splat (Splat the Cat). There's even a plush character, Splat the Cat Doll: 8", to set off this appealing entry for the gift-giving season.