by Rob Scotton - author and illustrator What a special story!  My children are homeschooled, so going to school at this point is not something they have experience with, but the principles can be applied to other areas of life.  Splat goes to school for the first time and learns a lot that first day - not necessarily academics, but Splat learns about himself and about his classmates; he learns social skills.  Tome, that is real education, that can happen anywhere. The illustrations are detailed and yet so simple.  I found myself spending time looking at and for little details - things like hinge screws and book titles, cracks in the walls and doors on mouse holes!  Rob Scotton's attention to detail is incredible. Other books by Rob Scotton can be found here.

Disclosure: This book was graciously sent to me by HarperCollins Publishing.

By: Ron Scotton Splat the Cat has an extreme case of first day of Cat School jitters! He even tries to hide from the new day. Splat tries every excuse he can think of to get his mom to let him stay home. “I’m having a bad hair day Mom. Maybe I should go to school tomorrow instead?” said Splat. His mom combed his hair. “Purr-fect!” she said. Splat decides if he has to go he should bring something special, his pet mouse! You heard right Splat the Cat has a pet MOUSE names Seymour. Splat is very, very nervous but Mom leaves him at school with a great big hug. The teacher is very nice and is explaining all about--guess what--CATS! When lunchtime arrives, Seymour jumps out of the lunchbox and the other classmates begin chasing poor Seymour! All turns out well though and Splat is very glad he came to Cat School today…and very much looking forward to tomorrow! Splat the Cat is a wonderful book to end those first day of school jitters. Mrs. Wimpydimple’s chalkboard drawings as illustrations are delightful. My girls loved this book!

When I first saw the book Splat the Cat I wasn't really sure what to expect.  I normally assocaite the word splat with a mess that usually involves me dragging out a mop and bucket.  When you pair that up with the word cat, I think Jim (my cat's name), you better run.  Thankfully, this book has nothing to do with cleaning up a mess, especially one that involves a cat.  My 4 year old dear daughter (dd) and I once again read this book solo.  The 2 year old had long since been gone by the time we got to this book.  This book is geared towards 3-7 year olds, but was enjoyed by me as well and the next time I see 3 and 7, they'll be side by side.  I could not find anything in this book that I did not enjoy.  The story, pictures, and lesson is all great.  With dd just starting kindergarten this book is perfect for kids that have doubts about starting school.  "Splat" the cat is nervous about starting school, by the middle of the book he discovers not only does he enjoy it, but finds friendship in the most unlikely person.  This book can provide confidence and reassurance to a child who scared to start school and show that sometimes friendship shows up in the person you would least likely expect to connect to.  I think this book would hold the attention of my 2 year old dd as well, which is a plus when it comes to doing stories with kids of different ages. Note: This book was provided by the publisher