Gently encourages readers to be comfortable with themselves every day and to embrace their extraordinary natures.
You don’t have to be quirky to be extraordinary!
This very active mother-child combo lives in the moment with smiles. Mom has a fair complexion and vibrant red-orange crimped hair, and the child narrator has light skin and red-brown pigtails. They make daisy crowns and art, rescue animals in need, climb rocks, take road trips, and meditate on mountaintops. Mom is comfortable singing out of tune and break-dancing at the grocery store and has a “canvas” of tattoos. Out in their diverse community, the two share Sunday barbecues and personal stories and join drum circles under the stars. But Mom also embraces quiet days that “are made for staying home in our pajamas eating chocolate cake” and the idea that “extraordinary isn’t always colorful and bold. It can also be found under blankets telling stories we remember by heart.” Mom shares smiles to make someone’s day and words of encouragement like “it’s okay not to be okay.” Brilliantly colored and detailed illustrations make this a good book for sharing with a group, but readers should take the time to scout out the expressive pets that accompany the duo on many of their adventures. This mom is like no other, but that is the point. “It’s important to be exactly who you are,” and who you are is extraordinary. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Gently encourages readers to be comfortable with themselves every day and to embrace their extraordinary natures. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-922503-89-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Larrikin House/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
Cozier than a roaring fire and sweeter than milk and cookies, this earns its “Christmas classic” stripes with flying colors.
Even the man with the bag needs a little help getting into the Yuletide spirit.
Barnett returns with yet another Christmas title, following How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? (2023), illustrated by Jon Klassen. Prepare for some potential confusion, since the titular “first Christmas” isn’t about the first time Santa started delivering gifts, but rather the first Christmas Day he’s celebrated himself. Usually after working hard on Christmas Eve, Santa sleeps in an extra half hour and then gets right back to work. The elves and a concerned polar bear decide to take matters into their own hands, so this year they surprise Santa with breakfast in bed on Christmas morning, then plunge into other activities: trimming a Christmas tree, stringing the North Pole up with lights, baking cookies, reading stories aloud, giving Santa presents, and enjoying a feast so decadent that it would make a reformed Grinch blush. Barnett narrates with a pitch-perfect mixture of droll amusement and holiday charm: Santa initially appears to be humoring his elves, only to really get into the spirit himself. Smith’s signature illustrations rely on bright colors and shapes. This seeming simplicity is belied by each scene’s unique lighting and reflections, imbuing everything with a singular warmth. Santa is pink-skinned and rosy-cheeked; the elves vary in skin tone.
Cozier than a roaring fire and sweeter than milk and cookies, this earns its “Christmas classic” stripes with flying colors. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9780593524978
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In the market for an understated Christmas classic? Behold! A Christmas miracle!
A dynamic picture-book duo turn their attention to one of the great mysteries of our time.
For those literal-minded children out there, this book serves to answer some essential questions about basic Santa-related logistics. We all know that Santa is supposed to go down the chimney to deliver gifts, but how? “Does he cinch up his belt? Or shrink himself down to the size of a mouse?” That particular speculation is accompanied by an image of a small Santa standing on the edge of a chimney looking down into the abyss. Synched perfectly with Barnett’s gentle yet hilarious questions and often silly propositions (“Or does he slip through the pipes and come out of your faucet?”), Klassen’s tan-skinned Santa is as funny and expressionless as a bearded Buster Keaton. Curiosity runs wild as Barnett ponders everything from Santa doing the laundry in children’s basements to his ability to get along with every household dog he meets, while Klassen’s there to bring each possibility to life. Don’t look for any definitive answers in this story, though. As the last line states, “Santa goes up the chimney the same way he comes down. And I have no idea how Santa does that. But I’m so glad he can.” For all that it leans heavily on absurdity, this book exhibits some serious heart. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
In the market for an understated Christmas classic? Behold! A Christmas miracle! (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781536223767
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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