A cheery Christmas charmer focused on family traditions.
What brightens a room at Christmas like a sparkling tree?
A family gathers to decorate their tree; the cat involves itself, too. The young narrator, Della Rose Santiago, proudly displays several ornaments, providing their backstories and reminding readers that Christmas centers on family memories, lore, history, and traditions. Della Rose shows off “my first-ever ornament,” a flowery yellow one given when the child was born. Another ornament, shaped like a pair of skates, was Mom’s when she was a child; a stained-glass angel adorned Daddy and Mom’s first tree together. This sweet tale is also potentially a helpful guidebook to tree decoration, as it offers some useful ideas for readers: Della Rose presents a pine cone—a souvenir from the family’s first camping trip—and points out, “Anything can be an ornament.” A brand-new ornament this year was purchased in honor of and bears the name of Della Rose’s infant sibling: a family tradition literally newly born. This warm tale will brighten spirits with its depiction of a close-knit family happily engaged in a meaningful routine. The colorful, cozy illustrations, created with papers, textiles, embroidery thread, and craft supplies, aptly suit the theme and have a lovely, tactile feeling—who doesn’t love touching glittery Christmas trinkets? Della Rose is tan-skinned, while Mom is light-skinned, and Daddy presents Asian; ornaments from relatives from Japan and the Philippines are referenced, too.
A cheery Christmas charmer focused on family traditions. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9780735268586
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2023
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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