Rachel Hale and Jane Gerver Serve Up Christmas Cuteness in Santa Paws

There are lots of things most children can be counted upon to love. Christmas is one of them. Kittens and puppies are two more. In Santa Paws, Rachel Hale, who has created many calendars celebrating our fuzzy, cuddly four-legged friends, offers up a 20-page book for toddlers who are enthusiastic about all three.

Santa Paws is a sturdy board book consisting of 10 two-page spreads featuring puppies, kittens or both. Each spread has a four-line poetic stanza in large, white type set against a red, green or blue background. The photography for which Hale is known jumps out vividly from the pages, sure to delight any youngster fond of these lovable pets.

Author Jane Gerver’s writing style is pleasant, with short stanzas whose rhythm is generally consistent. An example: “Puppies chase kittens, / Kittens chase mice. / Have you been naughty / Or have you been nice?” Among the photographs, my favorites include a group of puppies and kittens bundled up in scarves and another bunch of them wearing wings as they are depicted as “angels”. There’s also a rather classy shot of a black-and-white kitten playing the piano, and a picture of a Jack Russell Terrier hanging his head in shame elicits sweet sympathy.

Essentially this is a collection of 10 vignettes with little connection to each other. It’s an opportunity to gaze at some adorable creatures, not to hear a great story. There’s essentially no plot, but considering the very young target demographic for this book, that might not be a huge issue.

Children on the younger end of the 1-to-4-year-old spectrum can just have fun looking at the pictures; older kids might want to come up with descriptions of their own. For those with pets, perhaps reading the book could serve as inspiration for a family Christmas card, with the kids using Hale’s example to come up with possible poses and captions.

This is a very short book that should earn a smile from pet lovers. For older readers, particularly teens and adults, who appreciate the visual element of this book, I recommend Bradley Trevor Grieve’s Every Day Is Christmas, but Santa Paws is worth a little pause from dog and cat afficianados of all ages.