A forgettable effort without the spark of excitement required to light up a Christmas Eve story.
A little girl hears strange sounds on Christmas Eve, leading to encounters with a mouse, an elf, a reindeer, and Santa himself.
The unnamed girl seems isolated and lonely on Christmas Eve, creeping downstairs by herself. She hears a squeak and finds a smiling mouse, and they then hear a giggle and find an elf. The trio hears a “CLIP-CLOP!” and meets a red-nosed reindeer. They all move on to the Christmas tree, hearing a “Ho, Ho, HO!” and finding Santa. After sharing cookies with Santa, the girl and her new mouse friend settle down to wait for Christmas morning. The girl and the elf are white; Santa has light brown skin. The simple story tells of a “jolly Christmas Eve” with “joy gleaming bright,” but both the text and the illustrations fail to create a sense of anticipation or excitement. Computer-generated illustrations use a muted palette of green, lavender, and purple that conveys a subdued atmosphere rather than one of joyful celebration, and the cartoon-style characters lack a sense of motion. A few of the text blocks are set in black type on dark walls and are nearly unreadable. The title and cover are also misleading, as they imply the story is about a seemingly male elf, when it really is about a lonely little girl meeting new companions on Christmas Eve who cheer her up.
A forgettable effort without the spark of excitement required to light up a Christmas Eve story. (Picture book. 3-5)<Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8132-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out.
From the changing season to decorations and costumes, children anticipate Halloween.
Little readers will enjoy all of the familiar markers of the season included in this book: falling leaves, jack-o’-lanterns, Halloween costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating. Everett’s rhyming couplets bob along safely, offering nothing that will wow but enough to keep the pages turning. It’s Wen’s illustrations that give the most to readers, full of bustling scenes and lovely details. A double-page spread of the children in town in front of the candy store includes jars with individually drawn treats and other festive delicacies. The townwide celebration features instruments, creative costumes, and a diverse crowd of people. There are three children who appear as the focus of the illustrations, though there are many secondary characters. One bespectacled White child is drawn in a manual wheelchair, another has dark brown skin, the third presents Asian. The child in the wheelchair is shown as a full participant. Readers will enjoy spotting spooks like a vampire, goblin, and werewolf, as they sometimes appear in the background and other times blend in with the crowd. The familiar trappings of Halloween paired with the robust illustrations will have little readers wanting to reread even if the content itself is not startlingly new.
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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