An imaginative mouse tale with Christmas spirit.
Watson’s festive rhyming picture book focuses on the waking hours of the mice from Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas.”
Early in the morning on Christmas Eve, a group of active rodents live in an elaborate house, which Edelson delightfully illustrates as crowded with furniture, artwork, and Christmas finery. The mice are dressed in old-fashioned clothing, and the Christmas tree is lit with real candles, befitting its 19th-century setting. They’re putting up “garlands of holly and evergreen limbs” and making gingerbread mice; the youngsters wrap presents but get tape in their fur. The abundant presents inspire clever rhymes: “gifts by the dozens, / for all the relations, for fourth and fifth cousins.” After a feast of cheese followed by dancing, Santa Mouse arrives, with hamsters pulling his sleigh. As in Moore’s poem, this Santa declares, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” Finally, the mice fall asleep, so they aren’t “stirring” later on; the final lines of the book are the opening lines of the original poem. Such references are enjoyable and make the story compelling, although it invites comparison with Moore’s original, which is the stronger work. Still, children familiar with the classic will feel as though they are in on a secret with this prequel.
An imaginative mouse tale with Christmas spirit.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-62035-609-8
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Skyhook Press
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
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