Stowaway in a Sleigh

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 12, 2016

Review

Mr. Furry Boots is in the house. That's what Slipper the cat calls Santa. She makes his acquaintance one Christmas Eve night when she hears footsteps in her house. She goes to investigate and there he is, Mr. Furry Boots, aka Santa. He shares the milk, but not the cookies, with her. Then he goes about his business of putting toys under the tree. As he finishes up, Slipper sneaks into his empty sack. What cat wouldn't want to investigate something like that? Mr. Furry Boots heads back to the North Pole, unaware of his stowaway. Slipper is discovered by Ms. Furry Boots. And she "let the cat out of the bag" so to speak. Slipper falls asleep on Santa's hat. The next morning she investigates the workshop. She discovers that they even make toys for cats. She even makes friends with the reindeer. But soon Slipper gets homesick and heads out into the snow for home. Luckily, Mr. Furry Boots finds her and gives her a ride on his sleigh. He delivers her safely to her own home. The stunning illustrations are rendered in pastels on paper. They are dark toned reds, blacks, & blues with splashes of other colors for Santa's workshop. The dark tones beautifully depict the Christmas Eve night sky and especially the dark red & black of the emerging sunrise as Santa makes his way back to the North Pole. There is minimal text. And the words are relatively simple so this could even work as a early reader for slightly older children. This would also be good for one on one sharing and in small group settings. This is a worthy edition to most libraries' Christmas collections.

Overall Book Score: very good