After one reading, the party is over—pass.
A cuddly, lime-green monster gets ready for a bash.
“Come to Max’s Monster Party. There’s GOO-LICIOUS food to eat! / It’s creepy-crawly, stinky fun—don’t miss the SCARY treat!” A bright-eyed group of smiling monsters, some with rounded front teeth, one with glasses, and another with an eye patch, comes through the door bearing gifts. Presents are opened, the magician entertains, the bouncy castle “sprays out gunk,” and the monsters take part in the “stinky breath contest.” Then it is time to blow out the “earwax candles” on the “eyeball birthday cake.” Once all the festivities draw to a close, not only do the attendees get to sample the titular dragon jelly—a “scrumptious, sizzling treat”—but each monster also gets a goody bag with a small, red, fire-breathing dragon to take home as a pet. Freedman’s rhyming text matches the rollicking party action, while Hendra and Linnet choose a festive, neon pastel palette set against a black background to make the festivities truly pop. Bouncy though the book is, it’s hard to imagine that the overcrowded field of birthday books really needs another. Without a plot, this benign offering, even with the charming monsters, fails to stand out.
After one reading, the party is over—pass. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-6196-3682-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
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
Like marshmallow on top of caramel.
Little Bear loves everything about Christmas, but there’s one thing he loves even more.
The Bear household is busily getting ready for Christmas. Mommy Bear wraps and bakes; Daddy Bear brings home a humongous tree; Little Bear exults in it all. With each new Christmas tradition that’s introduced, from opening Christmas cards to receiving carolers, Little Bear sings a song that celebrates it. “I love ornaments, and garland, and lights on a string, / candy canes, stockings—and all of the things / that make Christmas perfect—oh, yes, I do! / But the thing that I love more than Christmas is—” But before Little Bear can complete his rhyme, each time he is interrupted by a new element of Christmas to celebrate. Since that terminal rhyme is always set up with one that ends with an “oo” sound, readers will not be surprised in the least when Mommy and Daddy interrupt him one last time with an emphatic “YOU!” It’s all so uber-idealized readers may find themselves gagging on the syrup—it even seems to get at Hattie: Daddy Bear’s smug “What an exceedingly talented family we are” has a whiff of irony to it. Warnes’ cartoon bears inhabit a cozy, middle-class home; while the carolers are clothed, the Bear family is not, but readers may notice a white marking on Mommy Bear’s chest where a string of pearls might rest.
Like marshmallow on top of caramel. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68010-208-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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