The Cat Who Ate Christmas

Illustrated with spry pictures by Docherty (The Storybook Knight), this rambunctious caper opens on Christmas Eve. When Rose attempts to tie tinsel onto the tail of her disobliging kitten, Jingles leaps into the tree, sending ornaments flying. The girl and her amiable multiracial family eventually settle down to sleep, but Jingles continues his merry mischief-making: he unwraps all the gifts and, at daybreak, crawls to the top of the tree as Rose wails, “Jingles broke Christmas.” After the tree collapses into “a heap of glitter and tinsel,” the feisty feline consumes the holiday turkey (“Jingles ate Christmas!”) and suddenly disappears. While the anguished family searches for its missing pet, readers won’t worry; they’ve seen Jingles jump, and happily nestle, into Grandma’s purse. Though the cat’s final prank—a repeat performance involving the tree—is somewhat anticlimactic, kids who appreciate extreme pet antics will eagerly follow along. Christmas facts and activities conclude the romp. Ages 6–10. (Oct.)