When children go to bed on Christmas Eve, they dream of presents left under the tree by the jolly, magical person we call Santa. Everyone knows the story, but is it really possible that so rotund and aged a man could skip across rooftops and slip down chimneys with such nimble ease? Wimsett proposes an altogether more plausible possibility: Santa is, in fact, a ginger tabby, and his sleigh is pulled by five enchanted mice (“The mice are fed, / A special milk, / With honey spread on top”). Mrs. Katie Cat, a longhaired grey tabby, is in charge of logistics. Through her network of blinking and winking household cat spies, she keeps track of what presents are wanted by children around the world. She plots Santa Cat’s course on Christmas Eve and tracks him via satellite, checking her list to see that no child is left out. When children leave gifts of milk for Santa Cat, he takes some home in his flask to share with Mrs. Cat. The author narrates this new take on the Christmas legend through well-measured iambic heptameter; the rhymes are mostly unforced, and the meter remains consistent (the reader is occasionally obliged to drawl an extra syllable into words such as “smiles” and “Ireland”). The central conceit is both whimsical and joyous—very much in keeping with the Christmas spirit—and is brought to life by Fouchard’s dreamy, digitally painted illustrations. These are resplendent in their Christmas colors and evoke the slightly pixilated, soft-focus blur of greeting cards. In addition to depicting endearing central characters, Fouchard renders unique and imaginative background details, such as the toys of Santa Cat’s workshop or the flames in Santa and Mrs. Cat’s fireplace. Children are few in the story but reflect a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Where darker backdrops preclude the natural placing of black-inked text, a striking contrast is achieved by setting said text within superimposed snowdrift bubbles.
