A well-told, warmhearted story that underlines how a town can work together on a common goal.
In this picture book based on true events, a community’s landmark Santa Claus statue is renovated and restored.
For many years, families in Evansville, Indiana, knew they were getting close to home when they could see a roadway Santa Claus statue: “And in the darkened distance, / stands an image in the light. / We see his mitten waving, / up ahead, a welcome sight!” Throughout the year, his statue—one arm raised in a friendly greeting—could be seen hailing passersby. But over time, the statue became less jolly, getting cracked, faded, and worn. Then it disappeared, abandoned in a junkyard. But in 2016, the community came together to have the statue repaired and repainted, adding a time capsule with photos, letters, and other relics from locals. Now Santa stands and waves year-round again. A supplementary section explains, with photographs, how the real-life rescue came about, helping to fill out the story. Angie Karcher (The Legendary R.A. “Cowboy” Jones, 2014, etc.) has a good ear for meter and rhyme, and the story of loss and restoration is an appealing one for children who celebrate Christmas and love Santa. The illustrations, by debut illustrator Dana Karcher, are also attractive, with their soft colors and well-rendered details, although it’s unclear at first whether Santa is flat or 3-D. It’s possible that not everyone appreciates a 35-foot statue of Santa through all seasons of the year, but the book takes for granted that it’s beloved.
A well-told, warmhearted story that underlines how a town can work together on a common goal.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-945306-66-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: M.T. Publishing Company, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another Seuss-chimera joins the ranks of the unforgettable Herlar and with the advent of the Grinch— a sort of Yule Ghoul who lives in a cave just north of who-ville. While all the Who's made ready on Christmas Eve the Grinch donned a Santa-Claus disguise. In gurgling verse at a galloping gait, we learn how the Grinch stole the "presents, the ribbons, the wrappings, the tags, the tinsel and trappings," from all the Who's. But the Grinch's heart (two sizes too small) melted just in time when he realized that the Who's enjoyed Christmas without any externals. Youngsters will be in transports over the goofy gaiety of Dr. Seuss's first book about a villain — easily the best Christmas-cad since Scrooge. Inimitable Seuss illustrations of the Grinch's dog Max disguised as a reindeer are in black and white with touches of red. Irrepressible and irresistible.
Pub Date: Oct. 12, 1957
ISBN: 0394800796
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1957
BOOK REVIEW
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