Charlie and the Christmas Kitty - Ree Drummond

Illustrated  by Diane deGroat

2012, Harper Collins

HC $17.99

36 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 3.73 (143 ratings)

My rating: 5 (unexpectedly...)

Endpapers: Red

Illustrations:  Watercolor paint over digital art (??) wish I knew more about what this means...they're big and bold and gorgeous....

Title page:  Lovely two-page painting        of a red pickup coming home with a Christmas tree in the back - as Charlie waits beside the winding drive.

1^st line/s:  "Well howdy!
Charlie the ranch dog here,
reporting from the country.
Things have sure been busy around here these days.  This evening, for instance, I'm bringing this great big TREE into the house."

My comments: The illustrations are really wonderful, and deGroat has added whimsical touches that totally enhance the story.  And the story is a riot!  This extremely hard-working dog (who sleeps all day) is trying to ignore the fact that his household has increased by one - an adorable kitten, who won't leave him alone, was left under the tree.  I love the way the text and pictures totally work together in this book!

Goodreads:  Why is there a great big tree in the house?!?

And why are all these boxes underneath it?
Hey—what is that?!? Where did it come from?
Uh-oh. This isn't good. . . . This isn't good at all!

In this hilarious follow-up to the New York Times bestselling picture book Charlie the Ranch Dog, Ree Drummond—the Pioneer Woman herself—delivers a story about getting into the holiday spirit and finding the good in all. Even though Charlie may not have put a kitty on his Christmas list, he learns that if you keep an open heart, new friends can come in unexpected packages.