Be generous this holiday season: Display this delightful book widely at Christmastime.
A whimsical version of a classic Christmas song.
Brown-skinned Eloise, an Edwardian-era girl wearing a red hair bow and a dress with a white collar, receives very unusual presents from Grandma, mailed to her daily over the course of 12 days. Initially, the text hews closely to the lyrics of the time-honored song, except that instead of “my true love” doing the sending, “my grandma” is the benefactor. It’s a sure bet that readers familiar with that ditty will sing the words instead of reading them, because they’re fun to croon and the presents are so over-the-top. They get even quirkier in this clever U.K. import: After the sixth day, the gifts begin to differ sharply from those in the original as Grandma sends Eloise “seven squirrels a-snorkelling,” “eight bears a-balancing,” and more very odd items, until the last day, when something unexpected arrives in a large, striped carton. (Hint: No animals are involved this time!) Readers will hoot with pleasure, just as Eloise does. (She appreciates this gift, which is much more practical than the others.) The colorful illustrations are comically energetic, enhanced by the inclusion of Edwardian-esque stamps and postage marks in the corner of almost every right-hand page, signifying the cities and companies from which the presents came. Eloise’s thank-you note to Grandma appears on the final page, as does brown-skinned Grandma.
Be generous this holiday season: Display this delightful book widely at Christmastime. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781035051984
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note.
Little Honey Bunny Funnybunny loves baseball almost as much as she loves her big brother P.J.—though it’s a close-run thing.
Readers familiar with the pranks P.J. plays on his younger sibling in older episodes of the series (most illustrated by Roger Bollen) will be amused—and perhaps a little confused—to see him in the role of perfect big brother after meeting his swaddled little sister for the first time in mama’s lap. But here, along with being a constant companion and “always happy to see her,” he cements his heroic status in her eyes by hitting a home run for his baseball team and then patiently teaching her how to play T-ball. After carefully coaching her and leading her through warm-up exercises, he even sits in the stands, loudly cheering her on as she scores the winning run in her own very first game. “‘You are the best brother a bunny could ever have!’” she burbles. This tale’s a tad blander compared with others centered on P.J. and his sister, but it’s undeniably cheery, with text well structured for burgeoning readers. The all-smiles animal cast in Bowers’ cartoon art features a large and diversely hued family of bunnies sporting immense floppy ears as well as a multispecies crowd of furry onlookers equally varied of color, with one spectator in a wheelchair.
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798217032464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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