Fans of The Tub People (1989) will welcome their return for a third gnomic drama. Arrayed before the fireplace, the extended wooden family is scattered when Someone comes down the chimney, bringing gifts and a small evergreen. Gathered up and placed in a deep pocket, the tiny figurines grow more and more anxious as they are removed one by one, to be reunited in the end as ornaments hung on a magnificent Christmas tree. Wrapping the tale with pleasant-looking angels, Egielski brings readers to a toy’s-eye-view with skillful close-ups, then pulls back for full-page portraits of Santa and the entire tree; as ever, the Tub People’s abbreviated gestures and subtle changes of expression are wonderfully affecting. An intimate alternative for those too young (or disinclined) to board The Polar Express. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 31, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-026028-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1999
PLB 0-06-028388-2 The Rockwells (Halloween Day, 1997, etc.) demystify a great American holiday for the preschool set. Among the mysteries revealed are why turkey is always on the menu along with cranberry sauce and corn bread. In simple, straightforward language, the author relates the history of the first Thanksgiving through the eyes of a preschooler. Students in Mrs. Madoff’s class enact a play about the events surrounding the first gathering; every character recites a piece of Thanksgiving lore while describing the things for which one can be grateful. Throughout the book, the generosity and goodwill among the Pilgrims and Wampanoag is underscored, providing a stellar example of how two disparate groups achieved a mutual goal of survival. The beguiling illustrations feature doe-eyed children and include several historical “snap shots” depicting events from the time of the first Thanksgiving. An agreeable, unbiased explanation of a cherished day. (Picture book. 2-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-027795-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
In a bouncing rhyme, Jesse Bear (Let’s Count It Out, Jesse Bear, 1996, etc.) celebrates Halloween. As usual, Jesse has the niftiest of festivities while solving a very typical child difficulty. He goes with his parents and grandmother to pick their own pumpkin, comes home to carve it, and then goes up to the attic. It’s a veritable treasure trove of stuff, and Papa and Mama dress up in vampire fangs and tutu. Jesse is overcome by his own scary mask, but is soon reassured by the familiarity of neighbors, parents, and friends in costume. Pumpkin lights festoon a trellis, neighbors sing a “wobbly goblin song,” and Jesse and his parents go home to a feast made by his grandparents. It’s a dream Halloween, indeed. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-81961-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1999
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