Here Comes Valentine Cat
By Deborah Underwood; pictures by Claudia Rueda
Can a cranky cat have a change of heart towards an assumed canine enemy on Valentine’s Day?
You bet this Cat can.
If you’ve enjoyed Deborah Underwood’s New York Times Bestseller listing of cat conversations with a seemingly not to be moved feline, as in Here Comes Easter Cat, Here Comes the Tooth Fairy Cat, and Here Comes Santa Cat, then you are in for a sweet treat on this day for love.
Or, at the very least, in Cat’s case, a day of like!
Who of us does not appreciate a valentine sent from the one we’ve loved, liked or befriended?
But, what if the inference is made by young Cat that a valentine sent to a less than friend, following a volley of a tossed bone and ball, headed over Cat’s fence, is well deserved?
Cat’s crossed arms, picket signs with a dog in full growl mode, plus virulent valentines sent in response to the canine, are all signs of no relent mode on Cat’s part or heart.
Why things have even taken the shocking turn of rocket draft designs and a subtle crafting by Cat, that speaks of sending the canine skyward!
BUT, what if the soft-voiced and subtle offstage querier asks pointed questions of Cat, allowing the thrown bone and ball to be seen and felt in a whole new light? Might the missiles instead be proffers of friendship?
I love the dialectic that occurs between a soft spoken off stage friend and Cat. It’s always permeated not with judgment of Cat’s feelings, but rather, a sort of “Do you think you’ve looked at all the possible responses here?”
And the author sometimes even agrees with Cat’s frustration with the yowling of the neighboring dog, as in:
Wow. He is kind of loud, isn’t he?
Parents and young readers are in for a gentle primer here on the phrase “Never Assume” in the handling of what kids may take as the supposed motivation for actions they interpret as, well, less than friendly.
But then, on a bit of further reflection, bingo, it turns out to be quite another. And that goes for cat, canine or human behavior!
I love the listening ear of Cat’s confidante that serves alternately, and gently, as commiserator, sympathizer, yet also redirector of behaviors, as in:
Gee, Cat. Do you think
Dog was howling because
he’s…lonely?
Aw, Cat!
It’s not too late to be his friend!
Cat tries yet another neighborly Valentine, prompted by a sweet entreaty from dogdom. Cat’s valentine too, this time out, has less sass, and it reads:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Dogs are annoying
What?!
except for you
Behavioral change is possible…in kids and cats. And with the ever cranky, but cute Cat to lead the way, Deborah Underwood and the spot on expressions for Cat, provided by Claudia Rueda, make the learning and laughing curve fun for young readers and parents.
Happy Valentine’s Day from Cat and Liz’s Book Snuggery!
Here Comes Valentine Cat Series: Here Comes Cat Written by Deborah Underwood Illustrated by Claudia Rueda Dial Books for Young Readers 12/22/2015 978-0-525-42915-9 88 pages Ages 3—5 Junior Library Guild Selection “Cat is no fan of VALENTINE’S DAY, especially when it brings a new dog to the neighborhood. “Ouch. I’m sorry, Cat. …
$50 Gift Certificate Holiday Giveaway Enter here: Mudpuppy Holiday Giveaway . Here Comes Santa Cat Series: Here Comes Cat Written by Deborah Underwood Illustrations by Claudia Rueda Dial Books for Young Readers 10/21/2014 978-0-8037-4100-3 88 pages Age 3—5 . “HO, HO . . . WHO? CAT! NOT AGAIN. “The holidays are around …
After taking a look at our selection of hot new releases and popular kids' books ... it's more than likely we're suckers for picture books about love, kindness, and compassion.
Here Comes Santa Cat
By Deborah Underwood; pictures by Claudia Rueda
I just found the perfect picture book for the weekly story time for 3, 4 and 5 year olds who may be a tad anxious this time of year. Their reason? An internal examination of conscience may have put some of them, from time to time, on Santa’s proverbial “naughty list!”
Enter Deborah Underwood’s “Here Comes Santa Cat” with pictures by Claudia Rueda who has the gift of portraying frustration, glee, chagrin, doubt and pure joy on the face of a cat. It’s the run up to Christmas and the reader of this picture book gets to act out the part of a gentle inquisitor, asking a Santa clad cat some mildly probing questions such as:
Question: Why are you dressed like Santa?”
Drawn Response: So you can give yourself a gift?
Seems Cat figures it is a pretty safe bet that he is NOT on the “nice” list which leaves a very ungratifying conclusion. Yes, it’s the “naughty list” for Cat and the solution is perhaps to gift himself because he thinks Santa won’t!
The gentle inquisitor, through a series of give-and-take queries, involves Cat in a education on what it means to BE Santa and Cat’s facial responses are priceless. Climbing down sooty chimneys and jet pack driven rides that end up in tumbles from the sky are not Cat’s idea of Santa scintillation.
The questioner softly tells Cat that Santa does not GET presents, he GIVES them and he suggests Cat just try being NICE.
A worried Cat, carrying a December 24th sign is assured that it’s not too late. He tries caroling or YOWLING, gifting kids with…FISH, decorating the town square tree – all end in disaster. Yet Cat is GIFTED with two cans of fancy cat food by the gentle cat questioner.
This is where the rubber hits the road in Cat’s Santa charade as a poor kitten wanders by, crying out.
“Any ideas?” asks the reader.
The frustrated tug-of-war “what to do” look on Cat’s face is a true artistic endeavor. He KNOWS what he has to do, but covers his eyes as he extends a paw with a can of cat food. Ah Cat! We knew you had it in you! And so does Santa as Cat is gifted by Santa himself with… But then again Christmas is supposed to be a time of surprises, no?
Please read this endearing story to a young reader this holiday season. It never sidesteps the difficulty in being a normal kid, yet exults with Santa Cat at the lesson he learns that it’s always better to give than to….But you knew that, right?
In the spirit of the most wonderful time of the year, we've put together a list of the best new kids' Christmas books that capture the holiday magic. We know you'll love our Christmas Books booklist!
Title: Here Comes Santa Cat Written by: Deborah Underwood Illustrated by: Claudia Rueda Published by: Dial Books for Young Readers, Oct 21st, 2014 Suitable for ages: 3-7 Themes: cats, being nice, Christmas, Santa Fiction, small format, 80 pages Opening Lines: … Continue reading →
Move over doggy and kitty books (unless you're a book about a cat that wants to be a bunny), adorable bunny books are in abundance and multiplying all of the time. Whether you're looking for an Easter basket filler, a simply sweet tale or something classic like The Velveteen Rabbit, we've got you covered—and twice on the "Velveteen" front.
It's rare that an author and illustrator get to work closely together while creating a picture book—this makes it very fun to get a peek into a conversation between a picture book duo that have been paired together by an editor and live in two different countries. In the case of the adorable Here Comes the Easter Cat, bestselling author Deborah Underwood wanted to know how award-winning illustrator Claudia Rueda managed to capture both Cat's crankiness and his sweetness.
. Is It Big or Is It Little? by Claudia Rueda Eerdmans Books for Young Readers 4 Stars . Back Cover: To a mouse, nearly everything looks big—but to the cat that chases him, things look a bit different. Opening: Is it BIG? Or is it little? Is it DEEP? Or is it shallow? About …
