An intriguing, refreshingly original Yuletide tale.
A beloved, witchlike figure from Italian Christmas folklore pens a letter to children.
Befana has taken on a variety of roles, from searching for the Christ Child to giving gifts on the Epiphany. Here, she writes a missive to children, preparing them for her visit on the eve of January 6, a night that “hangs motionless between the final sigh of the holidays and the return to daily life.” She’s frank: “I am both benevolent and fearsome.” In a withering voice, she makes clear that she has “nothing to do with that clumsy oaf dressed in red with his herd of reindeer.” She implores readers to “examine [their] conscience,” and she adopts a schoolmarmish voice, directing them to hang their stockings properly; good children will receive sweets, while naughty ones will find coal in their stockings. Befana dishes secrets, too, like how she becomes invisible after sipping “a soup of mandrake, limpets, and giant salamanders.” Most importantly, though, she explains that with her annual visit, she brings the gift of spring and new beginnings—“gifts that are not measured in money, to which humans are attached like leeches.” Translated from Italian, Cuoghi’s poetically pleasurable narrative can be verbose, but Beretta’s shimmering gouache images surround those words with a charming, vintage cinematic feel. Four delightful pages of backmatter delve into Befana lore and other winter-witch traditions. Befana is pink-skinned; background characters are diverse.
An intriguing, refreshingly original Yuletide tale. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9781778401466
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
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