We recently discovered Splat the Cat on the shelf of new arrivals at our local library. I instantly recognized the artistic style of author and illustrator Rob Scotton, and the silly title in itself made my kids want to bring it home. We did, and we've been reading it just about every day since. My daughter is particularly enamored by Splat, and it never fails to make her and my son laugh with delight.
It is Splat's first day of Cat School, and he is nervous. He can't stop his tail from wiggling wildly with worry. He tries every excuse he can think of to put off going until tomorrow, but to no avail. "If I hide from the day, maybe it'll go away, he thought. It didn't." He doesn't have any clean socks (even though he doesn't wear socks), he's having a bad hair day, the front door won't let him out, the gate won't let go of his fingers... even the lamppost won't get out of his way. (That page always evokes the most giggles.) Knowing he'll need a friend, he packs his pet mouse Seymour into his lunchbox and heads reluctantly to school. His classmates and teacher are more than welcoming, and after a silly series of events, Splat returns home at the end of the day excited and eager to go back. While there are a few quick jumps from one thing to another in the story, my kids never question them. The story itself is cute and a great back-to-school read, but the illustrations are really what make it for me. Scotton has such a unique style, and I love all of the little things in his illustrations that really bring a clever humor to the book: Splat's mouse slippers, the books on his shelf (such as Dogs are from Mars, Cats are from Venus), his alarm clock that points to "too early," Seymour's eyes peeking out of Splat's lunch bag. Splat the Cat was first published in 2008, and now there are several sequels in the Splat series. We'll definitely be looking for them at our next library visit!
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