Perfect for snuggling up with on a cozy Christmas Eve.
A young chipmunk wonders what Christmas is and sets out to find the answer.
His mother encourages him to think about what the holiday means. As they walk through the forest, they see woodland animals busily preparing for the arrival of Christmas. Badgers decorate with berries, a beetle family marches up a tree with presents strapped to their backs, and geese sing carols as they fly overhead. With each turn of the page, the little chipmunk asks “Is that Christmas?” Each is a part of Christmas, Mama tells him, but he still doesn’t understand. The little chipmunk falls asleep wondering if he’ll ever know what Christmas is. Charming illustrations with a retro, Disney-esque feel offer close-up views of life in the forest. As Christmas dawns, the woods are blanketed in snow, the chipmunk’s head the only thing visible against starkly white pages. He and Mama head up a hill and join all of the birds and animals in a joyful celebration of community. At last, the little chipmunk understands what Christmas is about. A simple, repetitive pattern of observation, question, and Mama’s wise answer builds suspense for children who also ponder the true meaning of Christmas. The book’s sparkly cover with its straightforward title will assure children that they will, in the end, know what Christmas is.
Perfect for snuggling up with on a cozy Christmas Eve. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1090-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Jeter Children's/Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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
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