A weak holiday entry for Butler and Macnaughton’s prickly pal.
Little Hedgehog and his friends return to realize the Christmas wish of a couple of baby mice.
The friends are all at Little Hedgehog’s enjoying some pre-Christmas cheer when the mice observe falling snow through the window. Their hopes of making snow mice on a white Christmas are dashed, however, when it melts the next day. Little Hedgehog points out that there is still a little bit of snow, and they decide to find what they can and carry it home in Little Hedgehog’s stocking cap, rendered in red flocking on every page to add a tactile element to the reading. They pack the hat full, but on their way home the baby mice give some to Grandpa Squirrel to decorate his tree and some to the Beavers for a snowball fight. The remainder—along with the hat—is put to use as a cold compress when Fox sprains an ankle. The ending is as predictable as it is sentimental: The baby mice are praised for their selflessness, and Little Hedgehog works hard to make Christmas “magical” for the baby mice with sparkly decorations. (The snow-mice ambition is elided.) Macnaughton’s outdoor scenes feature bare branches and snowy mountains in the background, but the spring-green grass looks distinctly unseasonal, and the pattern of snowmelt will strike many as unrealistic.
A weak holiday entry for Butler and Macnaughton’s prickly pal. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68010-212-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out.
From the changing season to decorations and costumes, children anticipate Halloween.
Little readers will enjoy all of the familiar markers of the season included in this book: falling leaves, jack-o’-lanterns, Halloween costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating. Everett’s rhyming couplets bob along safely, offering nothing that will wow but enough to keep the pages turning. It’s Wen’s illustrations that give the most to readers, full of bustling scenes and lovely details. A double-page spread of the children in town in front of the candy store includes jars with individually drawn treats and other festive delicacies. The townwide celebration features instruments, creative costumes, and a diverse crowd of people. There are three children who appear as the focus of the illustrations, though there are many secondary characters. One bespectacled White child is drawn in a manual wheelchair, another has dark brown skin, the third presents Asian. The child in the wheelchair is shown as a full participant. Readers will enjoy spotting spooks like a vampire, goblin, and werewolf, as they sometimes appear in the background and other times blend in with the crowd. The familiar trappings of Halloween paired with the robust illustrations will have little readers wanting to reread even if the content itself is not startlingly new.
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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