A warm Christmas read and a reminder of the best gifts: friendship, kindness, helpfulness, and cooperation.
The little truck that helped.
Even during a snowfall, Little Red Truck and driver Katie work and make repairs. One after another, six brightly colored vehicles in need stop them, imploring, “Help, Little Red, help!” Observant readers will note each entreaty is enclosed within a speech bubble whose color matches that of the vehicle and its driver’s clothing (except for a silver sleigh steered by a red-suited fellow), helping younger kids hone their color-recognition skills. Additionally, aurally attuned readers may note that, after each seen-to vehicle leaves, the text adds the word down to a key sentence. Thus, after the first vehicle departs, the text reads, “The snow came down”; following the second repair, it reads, “The snow came down and down,” and so on. This correlation heightens children’s number and pattern awareness. Little Red also punctuates each farewell with his onomatopoeic “Honk, honk! Beep, beep!” exclamation. This is a cheery, albeit low-key Christmas story; some visual cues—Santa and a tree borne by Little Red—nod to the holiday. Readers will appreciate the 90-degree book turn required near the end showing the raised tree festooned with bulbs by eager kids. A final scene portrays it encircled by the vehicles; together, they cry out a rainbow-hued “HOORAY!” Katie is pale-skinned; background characters are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A warm Christmas read and a reminder of the best gifts: friendship, kindness, helpfulness, and cooperation. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9780316333627
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 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
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
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