A humorous concept held back by uneven verse and a less-than-memorable monster.
A sister and brother ask Santa for their own furry monster for Christmas, causing mayhem in their household after the holiday.
The unnamed siblings decide on a “furzilla,” described in a catalog of designer monsters on the front endpapers. The older sister and her brother plan how they will care for their monster, and Santa promises he will deliver on their request despite their parents’ objections. The huge, hairy beast is friendly to the children, but he eats furniture, destroys the playroom, and blows his nose on the mother’s dress. He is banished to the backyard, where he successfully serves as a night guard and garden helper. The children think about asking Santa for monkeys the following Christmas, with a final, wordless spread showing the havoc multiple monkeys might cause. While the concept and plot progression are humorous, the rhyming text is rather stilted, with a singsong rhythm and some scansion problems; it's meant to be sung to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," but readers may find that a challenge. The family is multiracial: the father is white, and the mother has brown skin and straight, black hair. Minor characters include adults and children of different ethnicities. The children are appealing characters, but the monster is rather a furry blob who doesn’t quite come to life.
A humorous concept held back by uneven verse and a less-than-memorable monster. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1894-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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