A sweet holiday tale that emphasizes love and acceptance all year round.
In Vanous’ picture book, Santa Claus finds a runaway puppy requiring some Christmas magic to find the perfect home.
It is summertime, and Santa Claus is busy playing “reindeer games” in the woods when he stumbles upon a lost little puppy named Asher. Asher’s sisters were recently adopted; the fluffy white dog explains that he is hoping for “a home that feels just right—one full of adventures and someone who will love me forever.” Santa takes Asher back to the North Pole, where the pup spends the rest of the year frolicking with animals and elves alike. Just before Christmas, Santa receives a letter from a fair-skinned, brown-haired little girl named Karen Sue who wishes for a puppy of her very own. So, on Christmas night, as Asher helps Santa with his deliveries, they make one final stop at Karen Sue’s house—where Asher realizes he has finally found his perfect home. Mrs. Claus narrates with an appropriate simplicity punctuated by occasional vivid descriptions (“he looked as fresh and bright as a peppermint stick in new-fallen snow”). There are moments when the prose snags as it sporadically veers into rhyming territory, but this never obscures the hopeful message that everyone is deserving of love. Flint’s illustrations are cheerful, consisting of broad strokes and colorful shading done in a somewhat old-fashioned style. The result is a quiet, comforting story brimming with puppy love.
A sweet holiday tale that emphasizes love and acceptance all year round.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2025
ISBN: 9798990258655
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 5, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available.
A ghost learns to appreciate his differences.
The little ghost protagonist of this title is unusual. He’s a quilt, not a lightweight sheet like his parents and friends. He dislikes being different despite his mom’s reassurance that his ancestors also had unconventional appearances. Halloween makes the little ghost happy, though. He decides to watch trick-or-treaters by draping over a porch chair—but lands on a porch rail instead. A mom accompanying her daughter picks him up, wraps him around her chilly daughter, and brings him home with them! The family likes his looks and comforting warmth, and the little ghost immediately feels better about himself. As soon as he’s able to, he flies out through the chimney and muses happily that this adventure happened only due to his being a quilt. This odd but gently told story conveys the importance of self-respect and acceptance of one’s uniqueness. The delivery of this positive message has something of a heavy-handed feel and is rushed besides. It also isn’t entirely logical: The protagonist could have been a different type of covering; a blanket, for instance, might have enjoyed an identical experience. The soft, pleasing illustrations’ palette of tans, grays, white, black, some touches of color, and, occasionally, white text against black backgrounds suggest isolation, such as the ghost feels about himself. Most humans, including the trick-or-treating mom and daughter, have beige skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 66.2% of actual size.)
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6447-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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
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