Christmas for a Kitten

Christmas Kitten #1

by Robin Pulver, Layne Johnson

Trying to survive in the cold woods, an abandoned kitten stows away on a family's Christmas tree and slips into their house--a house occupied by a fierce dog. But it is Christmas Eve, a night when magical things can happen. Full color.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Cats, Animals, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young kitten finds himself abandoned in the cold and snowy woods in this sweet Christmas story from author Robin Pulver and illustrator Layne Johnson. Putting the stalking skills he has learned from his mother to good use, he does his best to survive, but longs for the warmth of his old home. When he sees a group of people in the woods, chopping down a tree, he hitches a ride in their car, and sneaks into their home. Chased under the sofa by the family dog, the kitten hides, until a jolly nighttime visitor discovers him, and decides to give him a home...

There's something about cats at Christmas that really speaks to me, whether they're participating in the Nativity, as in Robert Westall's The Witness or Michael Foreman's Cat in the Manger ; being driven to distraction by all the fuss, as in Judith Kerr's Mog's Christmas or Matthew Sturgis' Tosca's Christmas ; or finding a home, as here in Christmas for a Kitten, or in Efner Tudor Holmes' The Christmas Cat . Perhaps my love of cats, and desire for their well-being, when taken together with my beliefs about the meaning of Christmas, and the importance of kindness and generosity during this season, produce an irresistible combination? In any case, although there was never much doubt in my mind that the kitten here would find a home, I was surprised to discover with whom he would be living! Yay for Santa having a cat! - a theme also explored in Sue Stainton's Santa's Snow Cat and Santa's Snow Kitten . The beautiful artwork, done in oil, captures the dark feeling in the beginning of the story, as the kitten must find his way through the wintry world, as well as the joy-filled feeling at the end, as the kitten is borne off by Santa.

All in all, this was a heartwarming Christmas tale, one I would recommend especially to young animal and cat lovers at the holidays!

[Tayler K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this in at work Wednesday and had to check it back out for myself. The cover is so cute and I just wanted to see the kitty find a warm home with a nice family.

This is not quite the warm fuzzy story I was expecting. It starts off with the kitten asleep with its mother in a barn. Nice :) But then some jerk comes in muttering about 'too many cats' (there's two there, dude, chill) and stuffs the baby in a sack, drives off, and literally throws it out. Kitty lives in the woods for a few days because luckily it's old enough and its sweet momma taught it to hunt. Then a family comes and cuts down a Christmas tree. The kitten sneaks into the trunk which he then shares with the tree (needed for the story, but who stuffs a Christmas tree in a car trunk?) and then into the house. But there's a dog! The family puts him in another room and never notices the scared kitten.

Finally they go to bed, and the kitten investigates the milk and cookies for Santa (also who cuts down and decorates their tree all on Christmas Eve?) and plays with the ornaments. The dog comes back, so the kitten climbs the tree. The dog leaves and then Santa comes down the chimney. He puts all the presents out and then takes the kitten up the chimney with him (thankfully not in the sack like before!). The kitten meets the reindeer who remind him of the deer from the forest where he lived for a little while. Santa names him Christmas Cookie because he'd eaten them. This page is the highlight of the book, in my opinion.

They keep flying, delivering presents. The kitten enjoys a ride for the first time--no bumps, no dark cramped places. I fully expected a nice little kid to wake up Christmas morning with a new kitten, but that's not what happens. Santa takes the kitten home to the north pole. It ends a bit abruptly, right there. We don't get to see the kitten curled up on a cushion next to Santa and Mrs Claus in their armchairs, for example, which is the type of resolution I was looking for. Kind of cool that Santa's a cat person, though.

The painted illustrations throughout the book are amazing. They have the soft fuzziness of kittens and Christmas but perfectly capture all the emotions and things from the kitten's perspective--the different times and ways the kitten is scared, the dog looking scary and a bit blank behind the eyes, the beautiful reindeer. The illustrations made/saved the book for me.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A farmer shoves a new kitten in a sack and dumps it in a field. The cat sees some people cutting down a Christmas tree and stows away in their trunk. When the kitten goes in the people's house, he is frightened by their dog. Santa eventually comes and takes the kitten with him (though the kitten is afraid he's going to be shoved into Santa's sack). I felt like this story was too sad to read to kids, although I think that went over my son's head.

[Nancy Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The joy of Christmas is told through the eyes of a kitten who has been tossed out alone on a cold winter's night. Young readers may expect the kitten to find a home but can they guess who is new friend might be???

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so sad how the kitten was taken away but loved how Santa wanted him. Its.really cute. Love the illustrations.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet story about a little lost kitten that finds a home at Christmas. The ending is a surprise! Sweet illustrations.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

About a kitten who gets taken from her home and ends up living with Santa. Just average story and not that captivating.

[wildct2003 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good drawings, didn’t like the story

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of it wasn't nice for me to read because I don't like hearing stories about animals being mistreated/lost/homeless etc. Nice ending though.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do all the animal Christmas books have to rip your heart out?

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unexpected ending, but some kids might like the twist.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story of a homeless cat but long for a preschooler.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have gotten to a point of being pet free in our house and it will stay that way, but not for lack of kitty love. This makes special picture books of these fuzzes all the more precious. So when I saw some spread images of the Christmas Kitten I knew we needed to see these stories.

The paintings that make up the illustrations are beautiful. This starts out as a scary story told from a kitten's point of view, but in the end all is well thanks to Santa Claus and his love for cookies.

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.


Sequel:

[Bird · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no tolerance for animal cruelty in any form, so I was appalled at the beginning of the story when a man gathers up stray kittens into a sack and throws them into a ditch! Yes, there is a happy ending. However, the overall mood of the story is one of fear and loneliness. For a book aimed at lower elementary students, I found this inappropriate.

If you're looking for books about abandoned/homeless animals, I recommend Dogku or Before You Were Mine. I use both in my classroom and think they do a wonderful job of introducing children to the topic without overwhelming/frightening them.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I pulled this out of the pile as a Christmas present for Tommy (Santa always brings books to school). BUt I didn't read it before I gave it to him. It was a bit advanced for a two-year-old, and rather disturbing as it begins with a man trying to drown the kitten. The illustrations are beautiful, though, so we read it heavily redacted.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A kitten is taken from its mother and home and left abandoned. It sneaks a ride to a family's home and catches glimpses of them decorating their Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. Will the kitten get a home for Christmas?

This magical tale is made complete by the breath-taking illustrations by the talented Layne Johnson.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous pictures. The story is very dark and contains cruelty. I was glad that C was too young to understand it and could just look at the pictures. I would NOT read it to an older child who could understand the words.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

the first couple of pages are pretty rough - they set up the story of how a kitten ends up next to a Christmas tree. were i reading the book aloud i'd probably say the kitten was lost, but then the where's the mama question would be asked.

[Marissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unexpected start to this story. The beginning was kind of cruel. Beautiful illustrations however I was irritated by the use of punctuation and thought the storyline could have been developed a little better.

[Marg Corjay · Rating 5 out of 5]

How a little abandoned, unwanted cat finds a forever home after many adventures. A sit-around and share in the spirit of the season kind of book. Soft vibrant illustrations make this a fun book to enjoy with the whole family.

[Marni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story, but Carolyn *did not* like the beginning. The poor girl can't handle any kind of heartlessness.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was ok, but the illustrations are beautiful!

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I pulled this out of the pile as a Christmas present for Tommy (Santa always brings books to school). BUt I didn't read it before I gave it to him. It was a bit advanced for a two-year-old.

[Tommy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I pulled this out of the pile as a Christmas present for Tommy (Santa always brings books to school). BUt I didn't read it before I gave it to him. It was a bit advanced for a two-year-old.

[Judy Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute story, I see poor cats everyday in our small village beaten up, left to survive on their own. I wish people would spay and neuter there pets, I'm glad to see Santa rescued this one.

[Miri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a tiny kitten who is taken from his mother and tossed away like trash. The Kitten finds his way into the home of a family at Christmastime and is soon discover by Santa Claus himself!

[Seb · Rating 1 out of 5]

A bit horrifying. My 5 year old brought this home from the school library because he thought it would be a cute kitty Christmas book but instead he had to tell me how sad the book made him at the end since the kitty didn’t get taken back to his original home and his mama.