Destined to be a favorite bedtime read-aloud.
A disparate group of animals constructs a large sleigh so they can travel together to watch the northern lights.
“There’s magic in the winter air, / as all the creatures are aware. / A sway and creak as pines bow low, / and then begins the song of snow.” On this initial double-page spread and throughout, simple but eloquent rhymes are complemented by stylized, appealing animal characters that move within a soothing world of pinks, purples, and blues, dotted with flecks of snow and points of light. As the creatures gather, they sense they need to do something. The text describes the animals’ actions; readers will slowly be able to figure out what the creatures are making. Beginning with a falcon and ending with a mouse, a total of eight kinds of animals are introduced, each with their own contribution; the drollest one comes from Bear, whose body provides cushioning for other riders. Wolves pull the sleigh, and the text emphasizes that none of the animals are in danger (“no one hunter, no one prey”) during this expedition. Before the animals arrive to view the northern lights, there is a gently humorous mishap as the sleigh capsizes, and Stag and Beaver valiantly get it back on track. Text and art gracefully advance two themes—cooperation toward a goal and appreciation of nature’s magic—while also lulling restless readers toward naptime or bedtime. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Destined to be a favorite bedtime read-aloud. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2224-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Cookie-cutter predictability.
After all the daring escapes in the How To Catch… series, will the kids be able to catch Santa?
Oddly, previous installments saw the children trying (and failing) to catch an elf and a reindeer, but both are easily captured in this story. Santa, however, is slippery. Tempted but not fooled by poinsettias, a good book (attached to a slingshot armed with a teddy bear projectile), and, of course, milk and cookies, Santa foils every plan. The hero in a red suit has a job to do. Presents must be placed, and lists must be checked. He has no time for traps and foolery (except if you’re the elf, who falls for every one of them). Luckily, Santa helps the little rascal escape each time. Little is new here—the kids resort to similar snares found in previous works: netting, lures, and technological wonders such as the Santa Catcher 5000. Although the rhythm falters quite a bit (“How did we get out you ask? / It looked like we were done for. / Santa’s magic is very real, / and I cannot reveal more”), fans of the series may not mind. Santa and Christmas just might be enough to overcome the flaws. Santa and the elf are light-skinned, one of the children is brown-skinned, and the other presents as Asian. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Cookie-cutter predictability. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781728274270
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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