Fairly intriguing.
Oh, the possibilities!
This wordless tale begins with a child discovering a wrapped present. Thrilled, they pause in anticipation, as if praying for something good. Then they tear off the paper only to find another wrapped box inside the first. They repeat the process, once more discovering another wrapped present! Perplexed, they try again, and this time the gift seems to take on a life of its own. First, it covers the child’s hand, then their feet, making for a pair of excellent running shoes. Next, the present takes on the appearance of a smartphone, a book, a dog, a dinosaur, a superhero cape, and more. Frustrated, the child gives up unwrapping and makes a stack of the boxes, which have apparently multiplied. They fall, get injured, and kick the present, causing it to roll up into a huge globe that then becomes the world. The child unwraps the package one more time and ends up with just what they need. Though a few moments may confuse readers, this book serves as a strong allegory for the immense satisfaction of daydreaming about possibilities. Relying on a limited palette dominated by black, white, blue, and red, the Spartan, cartoon-style art lets the manifestations of the wrapped present really pop. The child, with skin the color of the page and animated pigtails that emote like rabbit ears, is extremely expressive and effectively carries this silent narrative. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fairly intriguing. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-321979-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
Cookie-cutter predictability.
After all the daring escapes in the How To Catch… series, will the kids be able to catch Santa?
Oddly, previous installments saw the children trying (and failing) to catch an elf and a reindeer, but both are easily captured in this story. Santa, however, is slippery. Tempted but not fooled by poinsettias, a good book (attached to a slingshot armed with a teddy bear projectile), and, of course, milk and cookies, Santa foils every plan. The hero in a red suit has a job to do. Presents must be placed, and lists must be checked. He has no time for traps and foolery (except if you’re the elf, who falls for every one of them). Luckily, Santa helps the little rascal escape each time. Little is new here—the kids resort to similar snares found in previous works: netting, lures, and technological wonders such as the Santa Catcher 5000. Although the rhythm falters quite a bit (“How did we get out you ask? / It looked like we were done for. / Santa’s magic is very real, / and I cannot reveal more”), fans of the series may not mind. Santa and Christmas just might be enough to overcome the flaws. Santa and the elf are light-skinned, one of the children is brown-skinned, and the other presents as Asian. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Cookie-cutter predictability. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781728274270
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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