Strictly for fans of the character’s first outing.
Author Murphy and actor Plaza’s follow-up to The Legend of the Christmas Witch (2021) sees the titular character entering the modern world.
After hundreds of years sleeping in ice, Kristtörn, the Christmas Witch and the sister of Santa Claus, awakens to find she is alone and has lost her magical powers. After walking through a blizzard, she is welcomed indoors by a worker at Kringle Headquarters, a corporation that has replaced Santa Claus. While the Christmas Witch finds a spot to sleep in the woods, a girl named Poppy causes a ruckus at home, ridiculing her brother for believing in Santa. When Poppy discovers Kristtörn in the nearby woods, she leaves food and clothing for her, and Kristtörn leaves her gifts from the natural world in return. But as Kristtörn discovers more upsetting realities of the modern era and recovers her magic, she blames her brother for abandoning Christmas and decides to seek vengeance, making everyone pay. Santa arrives barely in time to stem the tide of his sister’s violent rage and save Christmas. This tale’s commentary on the commercialization of holidays is overshadowed by the destructive woman’s rage, leaving readers to decipher layered messages about capitalism and anger; those unfamiliar with the first book will have an especially hard time doing so. Iredale’s illustrations have a classic fairy-tale feel, with tones of white, brown, and forest green. Kristtörn and Santa are light-skinned; Poppy is tan-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Strictly for fans of the character’s first outing. (Picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35083-6
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A touching, beautifully illustrated story of greatest interest to those in the New York City area.
A pair of cardinals is separated and then reunited when their tree home is moved to New York City to serve as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
The male cardinal, Red, and his female partner, Lulu, enjoy their home in a huge evergreen tree located in the front yard of a small house in a pleasant neighborhood. When the tree is cut down and hauled away on a truck, Lulu is still inside the tree. Red follows the truck into the city but loses sight of it and gets lost. The birds are reunited when Red finds the tree transformed with colored lights and serving as the Christmas tree in a complex of city buildings. When the tree is removed after Christmas, the birds find a new home in a nearby park. Each following Christmas, the pair visit the new tree erected in the same location. Attractive illustrations effectively handle some difficult challenges of dimension and perspective and create a glowing, magical atmosphere for the snowy Christmas trees. The original owners of the tree are a multiracial family with two children; the father is African-American and the mother is white. The family is in the background in the early pages, reappearing again skating on the rink at Rockefeller Center with their tree in the background.
A touching, beautifully illustrated story of greatest interest to those in the New York City area. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7733-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
