A charming Christmas story that proves that even the smallest creatures can play a big role in saving the day.
A bilingual English/Spanish Christmas story about a small mouse who makes a big difference.
Christmas isn’t a very exciting time for a mouse. Unless, like the mouse in this enchanting children’s book, you happen to wander into Santa’s bag of presents. Then, you might find yourself flying with Santa on Christmas Eve, freezing in the open sleigh. Santa may want to drop this mouse at the nearest house, but he soon learns it can be handy to travel with a small mammal. When Dasher gets something stuck in his eye and steering becomes difficult, it’s up to the brave mouse to scamper down the reins and remove the speck of dust, saving Christmas. The mouse ends up in a warm house with a bag of nuts to chew on. The illustrations—done in deep colors (red sleigh, blue skies, yellow reins and reindeer horns)—lean toward cartoonish rather than complicated and add to the tale’s charm. The simple house, village, and even Santa’s sleigh all offer visions of a tranquil world steeped in Christmas cheer. There is definitely suspense (Christmas might be ruined!) to drive the plot, but there is also almost no doubt that there will be a happy ending for the book’s adorable little protagonist. Children will only get a brief introduction to the Spanish or English language, but that’s appropriate for the intended audience. The only problem is that the translation is misaligned with the text for a few pages, but this is an easily fixable gaffe in an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable read.
A charming Christmas story that proves that even the smallest creatures can play a big role in saving the day.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-692-49971-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Island in the Sun Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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