Splat the Cat: What Was That?

Splat the Cat

by Rob Scotton

Splat the Cat and his friends have a Halloween adventure in Splat the Cat: What Was That?, a  lift-the-flap book by Rob Scotton, creator of the beloved Russell the Sheep.

Halloween should be a black cat’s favorite holiday, but Spat the Cat is nervous about visiting a creepy haunted house. He’s worried it will be too scary. Splat’s friend Spike tells Splat not to be a scaredy-cat—the haunted house is just for fun!

Splat and Spike’s visit to the haunted house turns into a rescue mission when Splat’s pet mouse, Seymour, gets lost inside.
Kids will relate to Splat’s apprehension about visiting a haunted house and they’ll enjoy the exciting surprises under every flap in the funny, spooky book.

Genres: Halloween, Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Holiday, Cats, Fiction

12 pages, Paperback

First published July 23, 2013

About the author

Rob Scotton is the bestselling author and illustrator of "Russell the Sheep," and "Russell and the Lost Treasure." His latest book, "Splat the Cat" is the story of a young cat facing all the wonders and worries of his first day at cat school. Rob's work can also be found on greeting cards, ceramics, textiles, prints, stationery, and glassware. An honors graduate of Leicester Polytechnic, Rob now lives in Rutland, England, with his wife, Liz, who is also an artist.

Reviews

[Lorellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this a whole extra star for how cute the cat ghost are. If Tot understood Goodreads, she would agree.

[Tym · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little Halloween story but the weight of the flaps etc make the pages fall out easily

[Laura Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Splat, a black cat. How fun is that?

It’s Halloween and Splat and his friends, Spike and Seymour are at the last house on their trick-or-treat route. Splat doesn’t want anything to do with the creepy old house. It’s supposed to be haunted. But then Seymour gets lost and Splat and Spike have to find him.

Such a fun little book. Splat and his friends are adorable and this lift-the-flap book shows them in glossy, colorful illustrations. I remember this type of book when I was little. I read it over and over, excited every time I peeked behind one of the flaps.

Little ones will be giggling, begging to be the one to lift a flap and see what’s under it. Simply written and not really scary, it’s a fun Halloween story.

This is a series and there are plenty more adventures with these delightful characters.

Too cute!

I picked this up for pennies at a used book store. You never know what little gems you can uncover there.

[Sarafina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this are so so cute!

[Stephanie H (My Bookish Itinerary) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Splat, Spike, and Seymour are treat or treating and there is only one house left. A big spooky house. Splat is hesitant to go in (with good reason, it is a big spooky haunted house!) But Seymour doesn't stay to hear what Splat thinks about the house, he runs inside.
Splat and Spike decide they need to go and find Seymour so they go into the old spooky house too.
Not long after entering the spooky house they hear noises. But instead of running away from the spooky noises, they continue on their search for Seymour.
They find the type of stuff that one would think they would find in a haunted house. Creepy paintings, something that looks like a witch (but isn't), possible ghosts, spider, and eyes in the dark that are really vampire ducks (my kids thought that was really funny). They find the source of the noises that they hear and they eventually find Seymour.

I think that this is a fun and cute story.
I like that this book isn't really scary. Which I think is good, there were a couple parts that my little one thought were a little spooky but she wasn't scared.
The recommended age range is 4 to 8 years old.
My almost 4 year old loved the story. She really got into wanting to find out what was behind the flaps and what would happen next. Cutie Pie (almost 8) enjoyed the story a lot, but I don't think she got into it as much as my younger one did. So I think that this is a good age range.

My Recommendation:
I think this is a fun (not really scary) Halloween story that younger kids will probably enjoy. Especially if they already love Splat the Cat!

This review as well as Cutie Pie’s rating and thoughts can be found on my blog: Her Reviews of Books, Movies, and Everything

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

The text and the flaps were confusing even for me as an adult. It was hard to tell sometimes if we were to read all of the outer pages before opening the flap or if we were to read and open the flap on just the left and then the right. The pictures and text were terrific, but the flaps were a real nuisance.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute Halloween book for babies or toddlers. My kids have enjoyed the Splat the Cat books that we've read, and this one has flaps to lift up. When you lift a flap you see whatever was scary was not so scary, or why they run away. The end is cute enough for a toddler book, but older kids will definitely be bored with this story, other than trying to predict where Seymour is. I give it a 3 star rating as the story wasn't bad and my kids didn't lose interest, but it's definitely not one that you need to seek out either.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable spooky read for the kids. The plot of the story was easy enough for them to follow especially when paired with the illustrations. This also had lift-the-flap features which ensured they were focused on the story. I do think that was needed, at least for my youngest, to keep his attention. They did have fun with the story overall, though.

[Madison County Public Library Youth Department · Rating 3 out of 5]

Splat and Spike were almost finished Trick-or-Treating when Seymour ran into an old, spooky house. As Splat and Spike look through the house to find their friend, they come across some scary surprises! The look-and-see flaps on this book offer an extra fun reading experience!
-Kennedy

[Valencia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Splat, don't be afraid! This book was very cute!

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is slightly subpar for a holiday themed picturebook, and "holiday themed picturebook" is already a pretty poor genre.

[Mollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autumn (3yrs)- t's spooky. They had to find Seymour. I love it so much. I even want to hug it. I love it.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 1 out of 5]

No the best use of a lift the flap book. Nothing creative and each of the flaps, could have been just another page. I'm sending it to my niece, who I am sure will just break it.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I get why Splat the Cat is popular! 😉

[Keith]

Child 5 Says: 5 Stars. I think it was really funny. There were lots of spooky noises that scared the cat. How did the cat not eat the mouse? How do cats make friends with mice?

[Rita Date · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Leo Learned to be King is a wonderful story that has many symbolic lessons to learn throughout the story. The story starts out with Leo trying to be the king and ruling all the other animals. The animals decide that they no longer need Leo to rule as their king so Leo shamefully walks off. He meets a mouse that needs to cross the river but cannot get across without his help. Leo helps the mouse out which leads him to participate in many more acts of kindness. At the end of the story all the animals talk about Leo and his acts of kindness. He is seen in a better light by all the animals, at the end of the story. This story teaches a lesson about kindness and how addictive it is to help others that sometimes can help themselves. I will have this book in my class because I love animals and I love teaching about lessons that will benefit the kids in the future.

[Kaitlyn Atchinson]

This book is the perfect amount of spooky for little kids. It takes place on Halloween while Splat and his friends are trick or treating, which is a relatable topic for kids. As they approach the last house Splat voices that it's scary and he thinks they should just end their night, but Seymour has already ventured into the house. It's now up to Splat and his other friend to save Seymour. This book would also fall in the I-M range in my opinion. Readers who are at a lower level may become discouraged by the length of the book.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 3 out of 5]

A not so spooky, but fun friendship filled Halloween/haunted house read.

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

[Emily H. Sturgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is adorable children's book. It was so cute I decided to buy it around Halloween even though hubby and I do not have any kids. The illustrations are great. On top of that the book is pretty funny too.

[Ana LibrariAna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lift-the flap Halloween picture book about Splat, Seymour and Spike visiting a haunted house. The story isn't that great, but telling it in spooky voices and lifting the flaps could make it a lot better.

[Nanci Booher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The lift the flaps added a special touch as we discover the things that Splat was really seeing. He is such a cute cat...reminds me of Garfield from back in the day!

[Liz Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little flip pages make for great surprises.

[Heather Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love this book, and any splat the cat book! This one is a fun lift the flap Halloween book. It's a fun read and the illustrations are great.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Splat is cute, but like most holiday tie-ins, the storyline wasn't that strong.

[Terry]

Read. Not reviewed.