This fresh take on an old text is worth checking out.
An old Christmas poem is paired with Mr. Boddington’s distinctive illustration style.
Linear brush strokes, multiple patterns, flat perspectives, and blocks of pink distinguish the illustrations accompanying this rendition of the familiar Christmas chestnut. The text of the poem is set in couplets against bubbles or solid background colors. Busy pictures show a brown-skinned family sleeping inside a multistory residence set in a small, Christmas-themed village, with Santa’s sleigh and reindeer riding above. Elves with various skin tones and hair textures assist Santa, who is White, with the deliveries. Going down the chimney and inside the narrator’s home, the elves explore playfully while Santa finds a moment to sit, smoking his pipe and reading the newspaper. The perspective of the spreads resembles a view into a dollhouse. Santa’s list of major cities to visit includes Nairobi, Rio, Istanbul, Tokyo, and Mumbai, among other destinations, but the names on his list of “nice” children (and pets) are noticeably and disappointingly not nearly so international in character. Text within the illustrations adds details to the story, including a nod to Jean-Michel Basquiat on the family’s kitchen bulletin board. Santa’s sleigh takes off into the star-studded night sky above a zoo filled with active animals in the middle of the red and green town. This unexpected combination of old poetry with a modern artistic style will find an enthusiastic audience in Mr. Boddington’s existing fans and may win the design studio new ones as well. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
This fresh take on an old text is worth checking out. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-38407-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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