A well-told, warmhearted story that underlines how a town can work together on a common goal.
In this picture book based on true events, a community’s landmark Santa Claus statue is renovated and restored.
For many years, families in Evansville, Indiana, knew they were getting close to home when they could see a roadway Santa Claus statue: “And in the darkened distance, / stands an image in the light. / We see his mitten waving, / up ahead, a welcome sight!” Throughout the year, his statue—one arm raised in a friendly greeting—could be seen hailing passersby. But over time, the statue became less jolly, getting cracked, faded, and worn. Then it disappeared, abandoned in a junkyard. But in 2016, the community came together to have the statue repaired and repainted, adding a time capsule with photos, letters, and other relics from locals. Now Santa stands and waves year-round again. A supplementary section explains, with photographs, how the real-life rescue came about, helping to fill out the story. Angie Karcher (The Legendary R.A. “Cowboy” Jones, 2014, etc.) has a good ear for meter and rhyme, and the story of loss and restoration is an appealing one for children who celebrate Christmas and love Santa. The illustrations, by debut illustrator Dana Karcher, are also attractive, with their soft colors and well-rendered details, although it’s unclear at first whether Santa is flat or 3-D. It’s possible that not everyone appreciates a 35-foot statue of Santa through all seasons of the year, but the book takes for granted that it’s beloved.
A well-told, warmhearted story that underlines how a town can work together on a common goal.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-945306-66-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: M.T. Publishing Company, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy.
Through the author’s own childhood diary entries, a seventh grader details her inner life before and after 9/11.
Alyssa’s diary entries start in September 2000, in the first week of her seventh grade year. She’s 11 and dealing with typical preteen concerns—popularity and anxiety about grades—along with other things more particular to her own life. She’s shuffling between Queens and Manhattan to share time between her divorced parents and struggling with thick facial hair and classmates who make her feel like she’s “not a whole person” due to her mixed White and Puerto Rican heritage. Alyssa is endlessly earnest and awkward as she works up the courage to talk to her crush, Alejandro; gushes about her dreams of becoming a shoe designer; and tries to solve her burgeoning unibrow problem. The diaries also have a darker side, as a sense of impending doom builds as the entries approach 9/11, especially because Alyssa’s father works in finance in the World Trade Center. As a number of the diary entries are taken directly from the author’s originals, they effortlessly capture the loud, confusing feelings middle school brings out. The artwork, in its muted but effective periwinkle tones, lends a satisfying layer to the diary’s accessible and delightful format.
An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy. (author's note) (Graphic memoir. 8-13)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-77427-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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