Cover Image: The Cat Who Ate Christmas

The Cat Who Ate Christmas

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Member Reviews

This is a fun story set on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and features a kitten named Jingles that just keeps causing trouble! Any cat owner will identify with this book and the illustrations are great and will keep the kids entertained.
Though set at Christmas ( the story shows the children’s excitement of Christmas), the story can be read anytime. This is not a Christmas story, but a ‘real life’ story.
If you are getting a cat anytime soon, be wary of Christmas time and what kind of disasters may occur!
WAIT! Once the story is over there is more! The boy Alex loves his facts, so there are some facts about cats and Christmas, there are some Christmas jokes, Dad’s hot cocoa recipe as he made the family cocoa, and an activity: How to make a Christmas angel like Mom did!
Thank you to the publisher for my e-arc copy!

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So, first it should be noted that I love cats, even cats who repeatedly topple Christmas trees and eat whole, cooked turkeys.

As such, I loved The Cat Who Ate Christmas. I wish this book had been around when my son was little because I imagine he would have cackled and grinned over the illustrations and the lost kitten, Jingles.

Jingles is, as one can guess, a naughty kitten. She knocks over the Christmas tree, rips and ruins beautifully wrapped gifts, and--as noted--eats a whole cooked turkey (obviously this is a fictional tale). The story is adorable, and the adventure of the kitten is definitely humorous. Cat owners will love the story, and kids will definitely laugh at Jingles' absurd behaviors.

As an adult, my favorite part of the book is the biracial family. The father is white, and the mother is black; the children are, clearly, of mixed race. It is important for kids to see their own ethnicities in their children books, and I don't think that I've read one like this before.

It is a Christmas book, so it'll apply to Christian religions, but I don't see any reason why Jewish or Muslim families still could not read the story and enjoy the plot. Church is not discussed, just the holiday itself. It is more about the misadventures of the kitten and loving the kitten anyway than about any religion or race. Definitely a great book for kids and parents alike.

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I thought this was a very cute story for Christmas time. It is not your traditional story but more like a real life story. I would read this with my 6 year old granddaughter.

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I kind of felt this book bounced around a little bit. I teach younger students and this may be hard for them to keep up. I really liked the addition of the facts, recipe and craft in the back of the book. It always makes it fun when you can continue the story with another activity.

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A lovely & enchanting story about a mischievous cat at Christmas time. He accidentally ruins the Christmas tree and then 'disappears'. The family are very worried about him but all's well that ends well.

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This is a sweet little book about a family at Christmas - and the kitten who destroys everything. It is very much a book for the festive season.



The Cat Who Ate Christmas comes with illustrations (highlighting an interracial family without ever feeling the pressure to make a fuss about it), as well as recipes, activities and jokes related to the story.



It is a little longer than I expected it to be, which means the youngest readers might need some parental assistance.



I was confused for a while where the story was set (my copy was in American English). There was a reference to time zones that made *no* sense if the setting was America. It turns out the author is from London, making this a British-set book with American language!



One thought: this family needs to read up on cats! They do everything wrong and neither train nor restrict the kitten from all the things he does wrong. I know it's just a book, but what terrible pet owners!



However, it’s a solid entry for younger readers.

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This is a fun read for a Christmas library, especially if the family has a cat. Cats are known to wreak havoc with Christmas trees, and Jingles is no slouch. When the family goes to sleep, he climbs the tree, ruins the decorations and somehow, even opens the presents. When he is left home alone with the turkey settling on the counter, he is enticed by the smells. Once again, cats can jump and when the family returns home with grandma, the turkey is pretty well gone. When he disappears, the family is worried he ran away because he got in trouble. The family frantically search for their wayward kitten. A fun story, but I think this family needs to train this kitten better, or keep it corralled when they are not home. The back of the book has some fun activities to do based on things from the story. The children are typical kids, who love their pet, yet still get upset when it messes everything up. Cute black and white illustrations are scattered throughout the book. This book would be a good read aloud but younger readers (7 or 8) may be able to read it independently.

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This is a delightful Christmas story that any child or adult will enjoy reading or be read to over and over again. A mischievous kitty, sparkling Christmas tree decorations, and opportunity is a perfect recipe for disaster. This book would be a fun annual tradition to add to holiday celebrations.

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What is the most important thing about Christmas? Is it the tree and decorations? Is it the delicious food? What would make you most upset if it got destroyed?

Jingles is a small kitten but he is a part of the family. He has not yet learned how to behave.
When Jingles messes up the decorations he is supposed to stay closed safely in a bedroom, but someone didn't close the door tightly. Will Jingles get into more trouble?

Find out what happens and how the family reacts. A fast paced holiday adventure.
There are extras at the end of the book!

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I could sooo relate to this story! I have cats and for a long while, every Christmas, my tree ended up laying on the floor! No turkey at Christmas, but I have to fend off cats every Thanksgiving as I fix the bird (and the cats are SURE I am destroying it!). Cat owners and their kids will surely enjoy this tale of Jingles and his family! Illustrations were wonderful!

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The Cat Who Ate Christmas is a cute Christmas story for children. I would give this Christmas children’s book by Lil Chase 4 stars. I read it to my 3 and almost 5 year old daughters who LOOOOVE all things Christmas. I think an older age group would be a bit more appropriate for this story, my three year olds attention began to wane about 1/3 of the way through. My kids both got a kick out of the kids getting their teeth checked and having to brush again which is a common theme in our home.

Pros- interracial couple, no matter what disaster the cat caused the family still enjoyed Christmas, I loved the additional facts, recipe, and angel craft that tied in with the story- what a fun bonus and I am positive we will be doing these cute tie-ins with the book around Christmas.

Cons- I felt the story could have had a few more lines to have a better flow and make the time frame a little clear for little ones.

Thank you Running Press Kids, an imprint of Perseus Books and NetGalley for giving me a copy of The Cat Who Ate Christmas in exchange for an honest review.

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This is a cute book about a very mischievous cat named Jingles. He is in a loving family but oh my, it is Christmas and there are a number of new things to get into!

I also have a cat who is a real challenge at Christmas so this was a fun read for me. Very cute and one I will read to my grandchildren. I read this for an honest review from Netgalley. I have posted this review to Goodreads and will post it to Amazon on the publication date.

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This cat’s name needs to change from Jingles to Mayhem, he gets into some of the most mischievous situations ever, causing lots of trouble for Alex, Lily, Rose and yes even their parents too. He gets away with his naughty behavior cause they love him to bits. In my opinion, they need to take him to the cat whisperer, he needs some training or is it the family that needs the training, whatever, I find it annoying. This is an amusing and interesting fun read, that has educative fun facts at the back, and a lesson in dealing with mischievous family pets. I know the lesson is in there somewhere, haha, but hey, kids just have fun reading, it is a laughable and enjoyable tale.

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The Cat Who Ate Christmas is an adorable book about an ornery kitty who has just too much Christmas cheer. I love this book because it perfectly shows the experience of navigating the holidays with pets. Poor Jingles the cat just wants to explore the new house festivities, but not without making a mess. Any family with a cat (or pet in general) will enjoy adding this to their holiday collection. I know I look forward to adding it to ours! The illustrations beautifully pair with the story and the use of sparse color and sparkles make it top notch. The addition of the Christmas jokes and recipes in the back are really the cherry on top.

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This is a great story and we feel it should become a classic to add to the list of Christmas stories we love. Not only is the story a cute one and the illustrations are very suiting, but enjoy the recipes, craft ideas, trivia and more within this great book.

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I got this book via NetGalley, because I wanted give a honest review. So many thanks for Lil Chase.
The Cat Who Ate Christmas was wonderful book for childrens. Even I loved it even thought I'm not kid anymore. The pictures were beautiful and the plot was nice and also so cute. It was so familiar what kind of Christmas can be, if you have a cat or many cats your own. I have two cats and this is reason why I can believe those things and it also was reason why I laught so much when I read this book. It was quite short, but I think it is good for childrens. It doesn't matter that I read this in the middle of spring, because I think for this book, it isn't so important when you read it, It can be in middle of summer or in the Christmas time, Also there were many facts which I liked to read, because I got new informations different countries and how different Christmas facts can be when I live in Finland and some live in UK or US etc.

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Jingles the cat causes mayhem for his family in this delightful short children's book. Lily, Rose and Alex all look forward to Christmas but their crafty kitty knocks over the tree, scoffs the Christmas dinner and opens the presents! Naturally in turn, all the family are angry at his actions but still love him and so head off to buy him his favourite treats and track him down to bring him home again!



A short sweet book, with charming illustrations, everyone will fall in love with Jingles!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

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Bedtime stories are my favorite time of day especially when my two little ones love the book we read. The Cat Who Ate Christmas was a fun easy going book that had my kids laughing and giggling the whole way thru. Lil Chase gave a wonderful holiday read for the whole family!

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This was SO cute! If any family has that spunky but yet lovable cat I highly recommend this, you will love it!

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I enjoyed this book! Children will like reading it, especially as a Christmas Eve story. The illustrations added to the story in a great way. I think anyone with a cat will sympathize with the family! :)

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