A cozy cat tale, if too-quickly resolved.
A warm tale for Christmastime.
Nina the cat has a “house,” which the illustrations depict as a small, cardboard box in an alley. The opening lines tell readers that “the floor was icy and cold air came through the door,” but the accompanying image shows Nina wearing a red-striped sweater that covers her legs and body from neck to tail. Is this the eponymous Christmas sweater? Not exactly. As Nina ventures from her cardboard house, readers will note that a red strand of yarn is trailing from her sweater, unraveling it page after page. She doesn’t notice as she traipses by caroling mice and other creatures. By the time she does realize that “her belly [has] started to get cold,” the yarn is completely unraveled and is “being pulled away and beginning a journey of its own.” Nina follows in hot pursuit through illustrations that show various perspectives of the city and slapstick scenes of the cat crashing into other animals as she tries to catch the yarn snaking away from her. Then the yarn leads to a bookstore, in which she finds Ms. Badger, humming and knitting in a wingback chair. The ending is as abrupt as Nina’s realization that she’s lost her sweater: Nina arrives, Ms. Badger offers her tea, and then with the page turn, the bookstore is named as Nina’s new home.
A cozy cat tale, if too-quickly resolved. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62371-937-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crocodile/Interlink
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019
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
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.
A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.
The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665954761
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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