Love, Splat by Rob Scotton - Revision history

Sue at 07:52, 25 April 2025

2025-04-25T07:52:18Z

Sue at 10:36, 28 August 2020

2020-08-28T10:36:12Z

Kieran at 15:18, 30 March 2018

2018-03-30T15:18:36Z

Sue at 18:04, 17 November 2014

2014-11-17T18:04:33Z

Keith: 1 revision

2009-10-24T17:17:35Z

1 revision

Keith at 15:44, 3 October 2009

2009-10-03T15:44:08Z

New review

{{infobox
|title= Love, Splat
|author= Rob Scotton
|reviewer= Magda Healey
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= Valentine's Day rom-com in the School for Cats, this is a well-illustrated and told, but ultimately mercenary production. It takes a teen scenario, applies it to cats which personify five year olds, but it's the parental 'awww, bless' and the resulting purchase that it ultimately aims for. Useful as a joke gift for a cat-loving girlfriend, though.
|rating=3
|buy= As a joke for a grown-up
|borrow= Maybe
|format= Paperback
|pages=32
|publisher= Harper Collins Children's Books
|date= February 2009
|isbn=978-0007293407
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007293402</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>006083157X</amazonus>
}}

Splat the cat is rather keen on one of the girls at school. She's white, fluffy, and called Kitten – but she keeps teasing him! Does she like Splat? Or does she really think he's smelly and annoying? Splat makes a Valentine's Day card and goes to school nervous but hopeful...

Rob Scotton certainly can draw appealing pictures: ones with a very modern sensibility in the "cute caricature" style. His [[Russell's Christmas Magic by Rob Scotton|Russell the Sheep books]]
are deservedly popular for sweet and humorous stories and magical illustrations.

Unlike Russell, Splat the Cat started his life at the mugs, cards and stationery end of a character franchise but has now graduated to a picture book series of his own: and if ''Love, Splat'' is anything to go by, some of the magic that infused the dreamy sheep's adventures has, sadly, disappeared.

The artwork is still impressive, with monochrome cats moving about a muted-coloured world punctuated by bright splashes of intense colour (mostly red in this case). The typography fits the artwork well and the production values of the book are high: it's a joy to handle and look at.

I do, however, have two bones to pick with ''Love, Splat'', apart from the essentially mercenary character of the franchise. Whether you consider them important for you would probably depend on your attitudes to the Hallmark holidays like Valentine's Day in general and in particular to the celebrating of it amongst that part of the population well below the age of any sexual awareness. If the idea of three year olds doing Valentine cards at their playgroup and seven year olds exchanging theirs in class makes you shudder, this is certainly not a book for you.

And secondly, and in connection to the above, the plot seems to me wildly mismatched with the potential readership. ''Love, Splat'' is a picture book for preschoolers, maybe the very youngest primary school children. Children of that age do not suffer from secret crushes on their playmates: they tend to express their likes, dislikes and affections with an often horrifying (for parents, anyway) openness.

''Love, Splat'' uses a scenario recognisable to most teenagers and maybe pre-teens and applies it to furry cats which personify five year olds, but it's the parental "awww, bless" and the resulting purchase that it seems to be ultimately aiming for.

If you are looking for a jokey V-Day present for your beloved who likes ugly-but-cute cats, this is a good choice. For a child - I wouldn't bother.

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending this book to the BookBag.

If you would like a picture book about cats hen we can recommend [[Posy by Linda Newbery and Catherine Rayner]] or [[Mog the Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr]].

{{amazontext|amazon=0007293402}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=6354481}}

{{commenthead}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{infobox2
+{{infobox1
 |title= Love, Splat
 |author= Rob Scotton

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 And secondly, and in connection to the above, the plot seems to me wildly mismatched with the potential readership. ''Love, Splat'' is a picture book for preschoolers, maybe the very youngest primary school children. Children of that age do not suffer from secret crushes on their playmates: they tend to express their likes, dislikes and affections with an often horrifying (for parents, anyway) openness.
-''Love, Splat'' uses a scenario recognisable to most teenagers and maybe pre-teens and applies it to furry cats which personify five year olds, but it's the parental "awww, bless" and the resulting purchase that it seems to be ultimately aiming for.
+''Love, Splat'' uses a scenario recognisable to most teenagers and maybe pre-teens and applies it to furry cats which personify five-year-olds, but it's the parental "awww, bless" and the resulting purchase that it seems to be ultimately aiming for.
 If you are looking for a jokey V-Day present for your beloved who likes ugly-but-cute cats, this is a good choice. For a child - I wouldn't bother.
-Thank you to Harper Collins for sending this book to the BookBag.
+Thank you to Harper Collins for sending this book to the BookBag.  We also have a review of [[Fishy Tales by Rob Scotton]].
 If you would like a picture book about cats hen we can recommend [[Posy by Linda Newbery and Catherine Rayner]] or [[Mog the Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr]].

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{infobox
+{{infobox2
 |title= Love, Splat
 |author= Rob Scotton
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 |date= February 2009
 |isbn=978-0007293407
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007293402</amazonuk>
+|aznuk=0007293402
-|amazonus=<amazonus>006083157X</amazonus>
+|aznus=006083157X
 }}

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 |buy= As a joke for a grown-up
 |borrow= Maybe
 |pages=32
 |publisher= Harper Collins Children's Books
@@ Line 39: / Line 38: @@
-{{amazontext|amazon=0007293402}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=6354481}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=0007293402}}
 {{commenthead}}

← Older revision	Revision as of 17:17, 24 October 2009
(No difference)