For readers dying for a shark-themed Christmas book.
Sharks of many kinds enjoy a deep sea version of Christmas in this underwater holiday story.
Kids on land send their Christmas wishes to Santa Claus, but young sharks “line up for Santa Jaws,” a great white shark in a Santa hat who thinks all their wishes sound “delicious.” Deep in the workshop, elfin sharks make toys from shells. Horn sharks “trim the Christmas kelp.” Lantern sharks light the night as shark families sing carols. And on the big night, Santa Jaws rides in his sleigh, the prow of a wrecked ship pulled by “hungry hammerheads,” and delivers fishy toys for good sharks and rotten fish for bad pups. A final spread gives fun facts about the eight shark species that appear in the story. The text is delivered in rhyming couplets, and the running joke about Santa Jaws wanting to eat everything is explained in a concluding note about the munching habits of great white sharks. The colorful illustrations put the ocean theme to good use: The pictures are cartoony, but the blue and green color palette is decorated with realistically colorful shells and seaweed. Only the Santa hat and shark-fin–shaped stockings superimpose artificial red and white Christmas colors. The text is bouncy, and the endmatter is informative. While this ephemeral offering is unlikely to earn a permanent spot on shelves, it will glean chuckles and interest from a select group of youngsters interested in marine life. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
For readers dying for a shark-themed Christmas book. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-24462-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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