Santa Claws: A Christmas Tail for Cats - Denise Alicea - ★★★.¼

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AUTHOR: Denise Alicea
ILLUSTRATOR: Sadiqa Akhter
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
PUBLICATION DATE: October 14, 2024
RATING: 3.25 stars.


In a Nutshell: A good indie picture book about a rescued cat who bumps into Santa Claus and makes his wish. I liked the cover and the story enough, but the illustrations weren’t a favourite.


Plot Preview:
Apollo the cat, newly rescued from the shelter, is celebrating his first Christmas in a proper house. At night, he is surprised to see a strange man popping in from the chimney. When the man introduces himself as Santa and explains his role during the festive season, Apollo is fascinated. He knows what he wishes for every cat in the world, but there is no Santa Claus for cats… or is there?


This is a cute story with two characters children are bound to enjoy – a cat and Santa Claus. Apollo’s being a shelter cat is a further bonus, as his experience proves how adoption can save many animals from a dreary fate. Through Apollo’s wish and its fulfilment, the book also expounds on the importance of spreading joy and of helping others if you are in a fortunate position.

The writing is simple and straightforward. The top of each page has 3-5 lines of text in a text box against a white background. This sits above the rest of the art, thereby making reading the content easy.

The vocabulary level is appropriate for little independent readers. I also liked the puns in the title. (I do have a query that I hope someone with a knowledge of American accents can answer: Isn’t “Santa Claws” pronounced the same way as “Santa Claus”? Or is there any accent-based difference between the two words?)

The plot structuring is a bit too basic. Kids might not realise any shortcoming, but as an adult, I felt like the plot just flitted over a couple of points where detailing could have made a greater, more memorable impact. The entire focus is on Apollo to such an extent that we don’t even learn the names of the humans who have adopted him. In fact, we see only one woman on the page though he talks of “humans”. I wish there had been a few more details about his new life, at least in the illustrations.

The illustrations are the main reason I couldn’t go higher in my rating. In a picture book, the story and the graphics both play an equal role in delivering an impact, but the artwork in this book wasn’t the kind I usually prefer. I do love the cat on the cover. But inside the book, the artistic elements on most of the pages somehow feel disjointed. Moreover, sometimes there is a mismatch between the text and the art. For instance, the very first line of the story talks of Apollo napping by the fireplace but the illustration shows him with his eyes wide open. Another page mentions glittering fairy dust but the dust on the page is dull black. Such discrepancies distract me much.

All in all, the story is sweet enough and the message is also a cute one. Art is, of course, a subjective taste, so I hope the children who pick this book disagree strongly with my opinion on the illustrations.

Recommended to those who enjoy a sweet story combining cats and Christmas. The book would work well for kids aged 3 to 8.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via StoryOrigin. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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