Book Review: Super Dodger Saves Christmas

Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

A plucky tabby cat comes to Santa’s rescue in this cute holiday kids’ book.

Everyone knows Santa needs his cookies. He wants all the boys and girls in the world to feel loved and seen on Christmas morning. But his energy to travel at lightning speeds doesn’t come purely from Christmas magic. It also comes from cookies.

So when mice start taking all of Santa’s cookies, he loses energy and Christmas looks like it could be hitting a dead-end this year.

Until Super Dodger comes along! Bob the Snowman tells Super Dodger that Santa needs his help, and so the brave, cape-wielding cat superhero gets to work. A plethora of cookies and a trip to the North Pole later, and this cat becomes one to praise this holiday season.

Super Dodger Saves Christmas by Lyn Leh is a bright little book with fun characters, a playful font, and language that’s dying to be read aloud with pizzazz. With only a short sentence or two on each page, the book flies by and encourages excitement in the voice of the adult reader. 

Those pesky mice are creative non-violent antagonists. Parents looking for kids’ books that can help foster imaginative play without monsters, giants, dinosaurs, bad guys, lions, and crocodiles will appreciate the fun-to-imagine, scurrying mice creating the highest of high-stakes obstacles for kids: getting rid of Christmas.

Based on a real cat and featuring real pictures of him, Super Dodger is a lovable cat who might be able to save just about anything. Little kids who love cats are going to love meeting this one. My little one asked about Super Dodger whenever she saw the cover, and I don’t think she’ll be the only one who does.

However, the aesthetic nature of the book leaves a lot to be desired. A combination of real-life and stock pictures are pasted and occasionally awkwardly cropped onto the bright yellow background page. The graphics for certain characters, like Santa and the mice, also change from page to page so they never look like one developing character. 

Super Dodger Saves Christmas stars an extremely memorable cat protagonist (with a catchy name) and tells a fun holiday-themed story that could inspire some harmless imaginative play. Parents who like a lighthearted story with an an animated voice will appreciate what this book does. Kids are going to ask to see Super Dodger again.

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