It’s as clear as crystal: Keep this one prominently displayed every Christmas season.
Dreaming of a white Christmas pays off big time for siblings.
Lucy and her brother, Noah, have spent Christmas Eve by the window waiting for snow, to no avail. “Christmas won’t be the same without snow,” Lucy says sadly. To help alleviate their disappointment, Papa lets Lucy open one present: It’s a snow globe. The house inside resembles their own, Mama points out—except for the snow. But Christmas is a time for miracles—and one occurs when the children take the glassy orb to their room at bedtime and Lucy shakes it. Suddenly, snow’s falling in the room—and all over the house! Not wanting to waste a flake, the kids jump into high gear, building a snowman, donning snow gear, sliding down a snowy banister, eating “snow sundaes,” lapping up snowflakes on their tongues, and, naturally, having a snowball fight—all indoors. Then suddenly, Lucy hears Mama calling for her to wake up. It’s Christmas morning, and guess what? Mama and Papa are standing outside, inviting the children to come enjoy all the snow that really fell during the night. Translated from French, this lovely story sparkles with the magic of Christmas and children’s imaginations and celebrates family togetherness. The charming illustrations, created in a limited palette with graphite pencil and colored pencil, are as soft, gentle, and lush as newly fallen snow. The family is light-skinned.
It’s as clear as crystal: Keep this one prominently displayed every Christmas season. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9781782509097
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Floris
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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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