A simple, illustrated Christmas story about an elf who gets into some mild mischief at Santa Claus’ workshop.
Silly Sam is one of Santa’s elves, and he loves to make people happy. This picture book follows him on his adventures in the North Pole, from building toys in the workshop to making special treats for his friends. On Christmas Eve, he sees Santa’s suit hanging on a hook in Santa’s workshop,but Santa is nowhere to be found. Sam decides that his next silly plan will be to stuff the suit with stuffed animals and other items to bulk it up, and then wear it to surprise the other elves. After Santa finds him, Sam believes that he’s about to get in trouble for his shenanigans, but Santa realizes that the magic of the suit has worn off on the elf, and so he invites Sam to help him deliver presents. Lindsey’s writing style is entertaining and colorful, but simple and straightforward enough for very young children to easily understand. Peres’ colorful illustrations are visually appealing and enhance the storytelling, and the characters are likable and earnest. The narrative lacks a clear theme or message, and therefore may be less interesting to older children, but the story’s simplicity is likely to captivate younger readers.
A vibrant, fun, and appealingly straightforward holiday tale.Pub Date: July 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-954893-00-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Amp Services, LLC
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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