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Christmas Cats #2
The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats
The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats is a Seuss-ical tale for young children which builds upon the moral of the first Christmas Cats book to once again teach children a valuable life lesson. In this second Christmas Cats adventure the lesson to be learned In life, always keep an open mind. Don’t accept stereotypes as true or let the unfounded opinions of others prevent you from finding out the truth for yourself. We all need to act without prejudice and learn to accept each other as individuals. The Christmas Cats learn that rats, too, should be judged as individuals. Another all of us should try to help others. Written for the author’s four-year-old granddaughters, Ava and Elise Wilson, with the assistance of talented professional illustrator Gary McCluskey, The Christmas Cats continue to have adventures while attired in their familiar silly hats from Book One (The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats). Learning to accept others in a non-judgmental, open-minded fashion is a lesson we all must learn. If children can internalize this behavior while young, learning to help others and to do good works, the world will be a better place.
- GenresChildrensPicture Books
32 pages, Paperback
First published October 22, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 22, 2016
Ms. Wilson has created an eye catching book that is a fun read that also teaches the positive message of not judging others. The Christmas Cats are sent to chase the white Christmas rats, but we soon learn that rats aren't mean, but clean and have a very important job to do working in a lab!
The Christmas Cats in such a fun read I love the rhyming tale of being non judgemental, and the importance of helping others, and the reminder that when the work is done it's time to play!This book is sure to become a favorite with youngsters, the colorful illustrations are sure to capture their eye as well as their imagination. Perfect for gift giving, a great little book that teaches a few valuable life lessons while using simple enough language that will allow them to read along. A recommended Christmas read that put a smile on my face.
A complimentary copy was provided for review.
The Christmas Cats in such a fun read I love the rhyming tale of being non judgemental, and the importance of helping others, and the reminder that when the work is done it's time to play!This book is sure to become a favorite with youngsters, the colorful illustrations are sure to capture their eye as well as their imagination. Perfect for gift giving, a great little book that teaches a few valuable life lessons while using simple enough language that will allow them to read along. A recommended Christmas read that put a smile on my face.
A complimentary copy was provided for review.
December 18, 2013
A delightful storybook sure to appeal to children all over. The pictures are clever, amusing and not too detailed, but the attitude of the cats and rats can be clearly seen. This is the second book about the Christmas Cats, and i know i will be on the out look for more of these charming books. A great gift for the children in your life...reminiscent of Dr. Seuss Books.
I received this book free from Teddy at Virtual Author Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. A positive critique was not required. The opinions are my own.
December 20, 2013
In The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats, the Christmas cats have been sent to an Environmental Lab to control the Christmas rat population. Once there, the cats discover that the Christmas rats are actually nice guys and that they do an important job.
I love Christmas books and my children do too. They look forward to each year after Thanksgiving when I put away their Thanksgiving books and get out their Christmas books. They have standard favorites (they love when their Daddy reads them The Grinch Who Stole Christmas), but they love just about every Christmas book they can get a hand on.
They were excited when The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats by Constance Corcoran Wilson showed up in the mail. Not only do they love Christmas books, but they also have two cats, Mr. Rufus and Miss Baby. They were pleased to see that two of the Christmas Cats matched their cats, one grey and one orange.
My seven year old son, Kile, pronounced it a good book. He is in second grade and thought it was an easy read. He said his favorite part was that he loved the “festive” hats on the cats.
My five year old son, Daniel, loved this book and has had us read it to him many times. He is in Kindergarten and can’t read it for himself yet. He loves the story a lot, but his review is that he believes it is more of a lesson story than a Christmas story. He likes the lesson that we should be nice to everyone.
My three year old daughter, Penelope, also has enjoyed listening to this story several times. She really likes the cats and how they match her own cats. She likes the pictures a lot and likes the moral of the story.
I thought the story was an interesting and unique one. I liked how it was set in an environmental testing lab and explains the important job that the mice do. I also thought the moral of the story, to be nice to everyone, is an important one. I thought the illustrations were cute and clever.
Overall, The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats is a unique and fun story to share with the family. You can enjoy it even after the holidays for its great lesson!
Book Source: Author Constance Corcoran Wilson for review as part of the Virtual Authors Book Tour.
This review was originally published on my blog at: http://www.lauragerold.blogspot.com/2...
I love Christmas books and my children do too. They look forward to each year after Thanksgiving when I put away their Thanksgiving books and get out their Christmas books. They have standard favorites (they love when their Daddy reads them The Grinch Who Stole Christmas), but they love just about every Christmas book they can get a hand on.
They were excited when The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats by Constance Corcoran Wilson showed up in the mail. Not only do they love Christmas books, but they also have two cats, Mr. Rufus and Miss Baby. They were pleased to see that two of the Christmas Cats matched their cats, one grey and one orange.
My seven year old son, Kile, pronounced it a good book. He is in second grade and thought it was an easy read. He said his favorite part was that he loved the “festive” hats on the cats.
My five year old son, Daniel, loved this book and has had us read it to him many times. He is in Kindergarten and can’t read it for himself yet. He loves the story a lot, but his review is that he believes it is more of a lesson story than a Christmas story. He likes the lesson that we should be nice to everyone.
My three year old daughter, Penelope, also has enjoyed listening to this story several times. She really likes the cats and how they match her own cats. She likes the pictures a lot and likes the moral of the story.
I thought the story was an interesting and unique one. I liked how it was set in an environmental testing lab and explains the important job that the mice do. I also thought the moral of the story, to be nice to everyone, is an important one. I thought the illustrations were cute and clever.
Overall, The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats is a unique and fun story to share with the family. You can enjoy it even after the holidays for its great lesson!
Book Source: Author Constance Corcoran Wilson for review as part of the Virtual Authors Book Tour.
This review was originally published on my blog at: http://www.lauragerold.blogspot.com/2...
December 14, 2013
Like earlier stated I read this for the publisher/author for my honest and unbiased opinion.
I couldn't help myself when I seen this book. Just the cover and title had me drawn in like a bee for honey. Yes, it's a kid book and I don't have any rugrats of my own yet, but I do like to check out an occasional kid book. There are little kids running amuck in my life and I love them. I like exploring the books and seeing what would and wouldn't make a good book for them. After reading this, I would say this would be for 4+, so it's a little old for my "nephews". But it would be perfect for my cousin's kids.
This was super, duper cute. It was very short, but you can only keep a kid's attention for so long. I loved the rhyming and Dr. Seuss feel to it. However, there were no made up words (darn), but it was more realistic. Which is good, I suppose. The pictures were very adorable too. Ah, I miss picture books. *sighs*
Such a good way to get to children the good ol' moral lesson of loving those who are different then you. The author used cats and rats (which not only rhyme), but are sworn enemies! The cats aid the rats and it was cute. I especially loved the hats that the cats had to wear (again, rhyming at its best).
One thing did lift my brow a wee bit. The glorifying testing on rats. Some would argue that testing on rats is a good thing, because it has helped us with many cures and etc...but the story makes it seem that rats chose this life of saving us. Meh. Luckily it wasn't the main thing of the book, because I would have had major issues on this. Poor, nasty, rats...
ANYWAYS....this was a cute read and I would recommend that children 4+ be read this book. The story was cute (besides for the mentioning of the "goodness" that rats do while being tested) and the pictures were adorable. Out of five stars I shall stamp this with 3...it's more like 3.3-3.4, but I don't give decimals, so I rounded.
Favorite Character(s): The kitties. :)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): The Lab testers
I couldn't help myself when I seen this book. Just the cover and title had me drawn in like a bee for honey. Yes, it's a kid book and I don't have any rugrats of my own yet, but I do like to check out an occasional kid book. There are little kids running amuck in my life and I love them. I like exploring the books and seeing what would and wouldn't make a good book for them. After reading this, I would say this would be for 4+, so it's a little old for my "nephews". But it would be perfect for my cousin's kids.
This was super, duper cute. It was very short, but you can only keep a kid's attention for so long. I loved the rhyming and Dr. Seuss feel to it. However, there were no made up words (darn), but it was more realistic. Which is good, I suppose. The pictures were very adorable too. Ah, I miss picture books. *sighs*
Such a good way to get to children the good ol' moral lesson of loving those who are different then you. The author used cats and rats (which not only rhyme), but are sworn enemies! The cats aid the rats and it was cute. I especially loved the hats that the cats had to wear (again, rhyming at its best).
One thing did lift my brow a wee bit. The glorifying testing on rats. Some would argue that testing on rats is a good thing, because it has helped us with many cures and etc...but the story makes it seem that rats chose this life of saving us. Meh. Luckily it wasn't the main thing of the book, because I would have had major issues on this. Poor, nasty, rats...
ANYWAYS....this was a cute read and I would recommend that children 4+ be read this book. The story was cute (besides for the mentioning of the "goodness" that rats do while being tested) and the pictures were adorable. Out of five stars I shall stamp this with 3...it's more like 3.3-3.4, but I don't give decimals, so I rounded.
Favorite Character(s): The kitties. :)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): The Lab testers
December 11, 2013
This is a cute children's book. It is supposed to be a Dr. Seuss style rhyming book, but unlike Dr. Seuss, there are no made up words. Everything in it really exists with the exception that the cats and rats act like people. This is actually the second Christmas Cats book, but they are not a series. The cats are silly cats that like to wear hats. They have been asked to help collect all the rats in this particular laboratory to help put them back in their cages. The rats are basically test subject rats, but they are happy to be doing good by helping cure diseases. Most of the time they are very obedient, but for some reason they have escaped their cages and are running around the lab.
There is a lesson to be learned from the cats chasing the rats. The cats learn not to judge the rats. A side moral is that you should help others when they need help. My honest opinion is that the rhyming is neat, the art is great, but I think the story jumps too quickly to the morals. I didn't see where the conflict occurred. The cats are sent to chase the rats and then immediately lectured not to judge the rats, but other than one picture demonstrating a cat not looking at the rat, I saw no reason for the cats to be lectured. I also have a slight problem with how the book makes it sound like animal testing is a good thing. I do understand that rats are the typical subject for medical testing, but this made it sound like they are happy to be in that position. I guess that is a good thing for a child to think just so they don't learn animal cruelty, but it just doesn't sit very well for me. So overall, I think I actually wish the poem were longer in order to show the cats actually being judgmental and deserving of the lecture they receive.
Read more reviews at Identity Discovery Blog.
There is a lesson to be learned from the cats chasing the rats. The cats learn not to judge the rats. A side moral is that you should help others when they need help. My honest opinion is that the rhyming is neat, the art is great, but I think the story jumps too quickly to the morals. I didn't see where the conflict occurred. The cats are sent to chase the rats and then immediately lectured not to judge the rats, but other than one picture demonstrating a cat not looking at the rat, I saw no reason for the cats to be lectured. I also have a slight problem with how the book makes it sound like animal testing is a good thing. I do understand that rats are the typical subject for medical testing, but this made it sound like they are happy to be in that position. I guess that is a good thing for a child to think just so they don't learn animal cruelty, but it just doesn't sit very well for me. So overall, I think I actually wish the poem were longer in order to show the cats actually being judgmental and deserving of the lecture they receive.
Read more reviews at Identity Discovery Blog.
December 6, 2013
The Christmas Cats are at it again is Book #2 of the Christmas Cat series. In the first book, THE CHRISTMAS CATS IN SILLY HATS, children learn that it is best to get along with others in life. In Book #2, the Christmas Cats are teaching us another lesson. Through rhyming prose and silliness, we learn to keep an open mind and reserve our judgement of others.
The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats are sent to chase some squeaky clean rats who live in a laboratory. These rats have a very important job and decide to run loose one day. The Christmas Cats who assume rats are not fun, find out that the rats have important jobs and can be silly too. The story reminds us to keep an open mind about others and by getting to know someone we may just find something we didn't know about them.
Even though the wording is simple, I think this book can work for both preschoolers as well as elementary age children. The illustrations are fun and will get the kids laughing over the antics of the rats and cats in their silly hats. For the older children, it can encourage a discussion about being kind and considerate to everyone. This book is available both as an eBook and in print.
I love featuring writers from Iowa and was thrilled to find out Constance lived just 45 minutes from me growing up. I am happy to support her writing career by spreading the word about her newest book.
The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats are sent to chase some squeaky clean rats who live in a laboratory. These rats have a very important job and decide to run loose one day. The Christmas Cats who assume rats are not fun, find out that the rats have important jobs and can be silly too. The story reminds us to keep an open mind about others and by getting to know someone we may just find something we didn't know about them.
Even though the wording is simple, I think this book can work for both preschoolers as well as elementary age children. The illustrations are fun and will get the kids laughing over the antics of the rats and cats in their silly hats. For the older children, it can encourage a discussion about being kind and considerate to everyone. This book is available both as an eBook and in print.
I love featuring writers from Iowa and was thrilled to find out Constance lived just 45 minutes from me growing up. I am happy to support her writing career by spreading the word about her newest book.
November 18, 2014
The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats return in this delightful story that children will love. I had to admit though I was a bit dubious when the rats were presented as lab rats. I love rats, don't get me wrong, I used to have one as a pet but I was concerned that the author was saying it was okay to use animals to do tests on.
However, she handled the subject really well.
It has great illustrations that will engage every young reader. They are bright and reflect the humour in the story. The expressions on the character’s faces are priceless. They will certainly get a few giggles along the way.
Kids will love the rhymes and enjoy reading it out loud. Even if they are not old enough to read it themselves, the rhymes when read by an adult will resonate with them and they certainly will enjoy reading along out loud.
There is an important message in this book too. It’s about accepting others who are different and that we should never judge people. As well, we should try to help one another too.
I think this book will appeal to many children. The images are captivating and the book’s layout is engaging with lovely Christmas decoration. Grab a copy today and get the whole family reading it out loud! You’ll have a ball!
To read more children's review or get your book reviewed please visit my blog: http://www.susandayauthor.com
However, she handled the subject really well.
It has great illustrations that will engage every young reader. They are bright and reflect the humour in the story. The expressions on the character’s faces are priceless. They will certainly get a few giggles along the way.
Kids will love the rhymes and enjoy reading it out loud. Even if they are not old enough to read it themselves, the rhymes when read by an adult will resonate with them and they certainly will enjoy reading along out loud.
There is an important message in this book too. It’s about accepting others who are different and that we should never judge people. As well, we should try to help one another too.
I think this book will appeal to many children. The images are captivating and the book’s layout is engaging with lovely Christmas decoration. Grab a copy today and get the whole family reading it out loud! You’ll have a ball!
To read more children's review or get your book reviewed please visit my blog: http://www.susandayauthor.com
December 1, 2014
When my daughter first saw this book, she wanted to read it. I will admit, the cover art really drew us in. It has bright colors and rats in a tub looking like they are having fun. Obviously, this was going to be a good book. Inside the book the artwork is just the same. It is very colorful and whimsical. The artist has "cartoon" life mixed with some everyday life. I like this because it helps kids identify with the story better. Not only do they see it as a cartoon, but they seem some reality in it.
The writing style Mrs. Wilson decided to take rhyming. This I think helps kids enjoy the story because they get a rhythm going with the story and it is easy to read the book. The words are printed in a larger format than you would see most stories and they alternate between red and green. Of course it would, it's a Christmas book!
Like I stated before, my daughter liked this book. I also liked it too. I think it is one that should be included on children bookshelves. Especially around Christmas time.
The writing style Mrs. Wilson decided to take rhyming. This I think helps kids enjoy the story because they get a rhythm going with the story and it is easy to read the book. The words are printed in a larger format than you would see most stories and they alternate between red and green. Of course it would, it's a Christmas book!
Like I stated before, my daughter liked this book. I also liked it too. I think it is one that should be included on children bookshelves. Especially around Christmas time.
December 3, 2013
The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats is such an adorable and fun book. I wish I had children to share it with because this book must be shared. The illustrations by award winning artist, Gary McKluskey pop with color and are gorgeous! The writing and pictures pair together seamlessly to tell a fun story with a moral on making judgement on others based on stereotypes. This is actually book two of a series but both can stand alone. The first book is The Christmas Cats in Silly Hats.
I highly recommend this picture book for children ages 3 and up and their parents! If you are looking for a great Christmas gift for children, you just found it!
I highly recommend this picture book for children ages 3 and up and their parents! If you are looking for a great Christmas gift for children, you just found it!
December 26, 2013
I thought this story was not fleshed out well. It is a story about Christmas cats who really want to chase rats, but it tells the cats that they shouldn't chase the rats just because they are different...or something like that. The story was a bit hard to follow and kind of seemed to jump from point A to point B with no mention of how things got there. The book did rhyme and that usually keeps my 5 year old's attention, but he told me he was ready to go to sleep before I even finished this one. I also thought the laboratory testing on the rats was a bit weird for a children's book? Overall this story was not really for us.
May 8, 2014
Hott Synopsis:
The Christmas cats in silly hats
all set out to find the Christmas rats
What they find no one can tell
those silly rats put them under their spell
Hott Review:
This was a really really silly book it was lots of fun but still had a great lesson. We really enjoyed reading the rhymes and looking at all of the pictures. Absolutely adorable!
This is a great Christmas gift & will be a fun one to add to your library.
More…
Author: Constance Corcoran Wilson
Source: Premier Virtual Author Book Tours
Grade: B+
Ages: 1+
Series: Christmas Cats
The Christmas cats in silly hats
all set out to find the Christmas rats
What they find no one can tell
those silly rats put them under their spell
Hott Review:
This was a really really silly book it was lots of fun but still had a great lesson. We really enjoyed reading the rhymes and looking at all of the pictures. Absolutely adorable!
This is a great Christmas gift & will be a fun one to add to your library.
More…
Author: Constance Corcoran Wilson
Source: Premier Virtual Author Book Tours
Grade: B+
Ages: 1+
Series: Christmas Cats
December 24, 2013
This is a rhyming children's book with a moral about not judging others based on stereotypes. I think that is a great lesson; however, I didn't think that the story made that much sense. Maybe if the story didn't have to rhyme the author could have fleshed it out more. The moral was clear because it was spelled out but the story leading up to the moral was fuzzy.
The illustrations were fun and colorful. Each page was bordered with festive Christmas lights which actually seemed to be the only thing that made this a Christmas book. Overall, this book was meh.
The illustrations were fun and colorful. Each page was bordered with festive Christmas lights which actually seemed to be the only thing that made this a Christmas book. Overall, this book was meh.
December 26, 2014
I enjoy when stories have a moral to them. If they don't come across as preachy then you stand a better chance of getting kids to like and read them. The moral to this story is to not judge others. The illustrations are beautiful. I did feel like the rhyming was off somewhat and took away from the story making it confusing at times.
I received a copy to facilitate my review.
I received a copy to facilitate my review.
November 19, 2013
Cute illustrations; not happy with the simplistic view of animal testing; message is mixed but the rhyming is cute. Full review to come; December blog tour
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews