Rudolph and his contribution to the Santa saga seem firmly entrenched in American Christmas tradition, and this fresh look...
The original 1939 story about a reindeer with a noteworthy nose serves as the text of this lavishly illustrated, oversize interpretation of Rudolph’s place in Christmas lore.
The cover illustration draws readers in to the story with an evocative view of Rudolph and the reindeer team pulling Santa and his sleigh through an azure sky. The paper used for the cover has a mottled, opalescent shine which, along with hazy swirls and shimmering bubbles, suggests the magical nature of flying reindeer and Santa himself. This use of glowing illumination to set a mysterious tone is repeated when Rudolph peeks into Santa’s toy sack during the Christmas Eve toy delivery, with radiant light emanating from the reindeer’s rosy nose, as it does on nearly every page. The 75-year-old rhyming story is a little too long and a little too singsong, with some of the phraseology a trifle dated for today’s children and some of the rhyming word pairs struggling to fit the meter. However, there is no other full-sized version of this original story of Rudolph with contemporary illustrations currently in print; most picture-book versions are based on the alternate television version of Rudolph’s story. (A new edition of this interpretation, retold by Thea Feldman, also publishes in 2014.)
Rudolph and his contribution to the Santa saga seem firmly entrenched in American Christmas tradition, and this fresh look at the reindeer that triumphs over rejection and a seeming disability may be a new holiday classic. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7495-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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