An imaginative mouse tale with Christmas spirit.
Watson’s festive rhyming picture book focuses on the waking hours of the mice from Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas.”
Early in the morning on Christmas Eve, a group of active rodents live in an elaborate house, which Edelson delightfully illustrates as crowded with furniture, artwork, and Christmas finery. The mice are dressed in old-fashioned clothing, and the Christmas tree is lit with real candles, befitting its 19th-century setting. They’re putting up “garlands of holly and evergreen limbs” and making gingerbread mice; the youngsters wrap presents but get tape in their fur. The abundant presents inspire clever rhymes: “gifts by the dozens, / for all the relations, for fourth and fifth cousins.” After a feast of cheese followed by dancing, Santa Mouse arrives, with hamsters pulling his sleigh. As in Moore’s poem, this Santa declares, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” Finally, the mice fall asleep, so they aren’t “stirring” later on; the final lines of the book are the opening lines of the original poem. Such references are enjoyable and make the story compelling, although it invites comparison with Moore’s original, which is the stronger work. Still, children familiar with the classic will feel as though they are in on a secret with this prequel.
An imaginative mouse tale with Christmas spirit.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-62035-609-8
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Skyhook Press
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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