School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Splat and his friends are excited about going to the fair-until they find out that Kitten can't go, because she injured her leg when she fell down the stairs and is in a wheelchair. Amid having fun, the other three felines are determined to find something special for her. Nothing seems quite right-a hat will mush her hair, and Spike ate the eclairs meant for her. Finally, they decide to win her a stuffed animal. But throwing coconuts is harder than it looks, and, once again, they are in trouble. After making amends, they are given balloons, which Kitten loves. The text bumps along unevenly, but the lively cartoon illustrations make up for it and give lots of clues for emerging readers to follow.-Melisa Bailey, Harford County Library System, MD (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Text by Alissa Heyman (Dad)/Amy Hsu Lin (Up in the Air). Things don't always go as planned, yet Splat always lands on his feet. In these outings, Splat and friends go to a fair and try to bring something special back for Kitten, and Splat does a father-son three-legged race at Cat School Game Day. There's lots of repetition and internal rhyme in these slim stories. The perpetually frazzled kitty's energy comes through in the silly illustrations. [Review covers these I Can Read Book titles: Splat the Cat: Up in the Air at the Fair and Splat the Cat Makes Dad Glad.] (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Based on the creation of Rob Scotton, this beginning reader book tells what happens when Splat the Cat visits a fair with his pals Spike and Plank. They buy four eclairs, one for each of them and another for their injured friend, Kitten. Spike takes care of the treats while his friends go on a ride. When it's over, Spike has eaten all the pastries. After another misadventure at a game booth, they take some balloons to their injured friend. Both the story and the digital artwork are a bit bland. Though the text is written in prose, a number of words rhyming with fair (wheelchair, bear, lair, hair, scared, declared, wear, wares, eclairs, flair, etc.) appear throughout the story, usually at the ends of sentences, phrases, or lines. Teachers looking for stories that use particular sounds may find the book useful, if a bit purposeful.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2014 Booklist
