A lovely choice to help emergent readers get into the Christmas spirit.
Poppleton the pig celebrates the season in three delightful stories.
Each tale presents the charming porcine at his most conscientious, gracious self. In “The Jar,” good-natured Poppleton considers his BFFs’ preferences and needs above all when making his gift choices. When his money runs out before he can purchase the just-right item he wants for llama pal Cherry Sue, the store’s manager comes up with an ingenious solution. In “Snow,” Poppleton wishes for a white Christmas, but the weather isn’t cooperating, so he takes matters into his own trotters with the aid of dozens of artificial-snow-filled aerosol cans. When he’s done, the whole neighborhood “looks like Christmas.” In “Midnight,” Poppleton and buddies Cherry Sue, Fillmore the goat, and Hudson the mouse celebrate a festive Christmas Eve with cider and cookies, sparkling candles and tree lights, secret Christmas wishes, and, before going home to bed, a walk to wish “a good Christmas to the animals of the night: the owls, the deer, and the raccoons.” This sweet easy chapter book overflows with warmth and coziness and exudes the true spirit of the holiday season: friendship, thoughtfulness, and kindness. The cheery, colorful illustrations and endearing, expressive animal protagonists are well suited to the text. Backmatter bonuses include a guide to drawing Poppleton and a prompt for creating an illustrated story.
A lovely choice to help emergent readers get into the Christmas spirit. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-56677-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Acorn/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
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
A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor
Having surveyed worms, spiders, flies, and head lice, Gravel continues her Disgusting Critters series with a quick hop through toad fact and fancy.
The facts are briefly presented in a hand-lettered–style typeface frequently interrupted by visually emphatic interjections (“TOXIN,” “PREY,” “EWWW!”). These are, as usual, paired to simply drawn cartoons with comments and punch lines in dialogue balloons. After casting glances at the common South American ancestor of frogs and toads, and at such exotic species as the Emei mustache toad (“Hey ladies!”), Gravel focuses on the common toad, Bufo bufo. Using feminine pronouns throughout, she describes diet and egg-laying, defense mechanisms, “warts,” development from tadpole to adult, and of course how toads shed and eat their skins. Noting that global warming and habitat destruction have rendered some species endangered or extinct, she closes with a plea and, harking back to those South American origins, an image of an outsized toad, arm in arm with a dark-skinned lad (in a track suit), waving goodbye: “Hasta la vista!”
A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor . (Informational picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77049-667-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
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