The Cat Who Ate Christmas

Gr 1–4—After Alex, Lily, and Rose go to bed on Christmas Eve, Jingles the cat sneaks downstairs and destroys decorations, opens the presents, and topples the tree. When the family goes to pick up Grandma for Christmas dinner, Jingles eats the turkey. To avoid his angry family, Jingles stows away in Grandma's handbag, leading them to believe that he has run away on Christmas. Once he is returned to his family, they realize that in spite of Jingles's naughty behavior, being together is all they really need for Christmas. The story is humorous, told through simple sentences and short paragraphs. The back matter includes a cocoa recipe, instructions for creating a Christmas angel, as well as an assortment of Alex's favorite Christmas trivia. The cartoonish illustrations are dynamic and expressive to underpin Jingles's mischief as well as the emotions of the story. Gray scale illustrations with splashes of red depict a biracial family and the naughty black-and-white kitten.