A pleasant but forgettable effort.
A slight, rather confusing Christmas story about a group of children in costume performing a Christmas pageant.
The first few pages show groups of animals engaged in different activities to prepare for Christmas. Tiny red birds decorate a huge, red bow with sprigs of holly, and mice in pink tutus cut snowflakes out of paper and then frost a white cake with mouse snowmen on top. Six striped cats frolic through a forest together and select a Christmas tree, reindeer hang Christmas lights, and a group of rabbits wraps lots of presents. Then the action abruptly shifts to a Christmas pageant, with costumed children who are dressed as the animals from the previous pages. The children all sleep in their own beds (shown all in a long row) for Christmas Eve night, then reappear in costume to celebrate on Christmas Day. The text relies on repeated adjectives, the titular refrain, and lots of jolly language and exclamation marks, but there isn’t much of a plot. The illustrations in acrylic paints are appealing, with a cast of multiethnic children and clever details in costumes and the group bedtime scene. There are some logical lapses between art and text, as in the illustration of pink-clad gray mice facing text that describes “white, white mice” and another that fails to depict rabbits in the pageant cast.
A pleasant but forgettable effort. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-907152-27-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boxer Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
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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