Warming through and through.
A friendship story for under the tree.
“Finally it feels like Christmas,” Mistletoe the mouse thinks to herself as she walks through the snow to her friend Norwell the elephant’s house. But Norwell doesn’t like the cold and won’t come outside to join her. Instead, Mistletoe visits him inside his cozy house for tea before heading home. Eager to encourage her friend to experience the peaceful beauty of a wintertime snowfall, Mistletoe devises a plan to help him be more comfortable outside. That plan involves lots of yarn and lots of knitting. In fact, Hills devotes several spreads to the process of knitting and buying more colorful yarn before Mistletoe finally completes her friend’s gift on Christmas Eve. When she awakens on Christmas morning, Mistletoe finds that Santa has visited, but instead of opening her gifts, she hurries out the door with her enormous present tied up with a bow to deliver to Norwell. He, too, has made something for her: a painting he based on seeing her enjoying the snowfall. But readers’ favorite picture will likely be the one that reveals Norwell all dressed up in the enormous, colorful knitted bodysuit that Mistletoe made for him. Though his outfit is striped, not checkered, some readers may liken Norwell’s appearance to David McKee’s Elmer the Patchwork Elephant; all readers will be delighted to finally see him outside with his friend.
Warming through and through. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-17442-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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
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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