The author propels her present-day take on the classic Christmas poem with gentle humor and suspense, smoothly incorporating...
A little elf’s clandestine adventure as a stowaway on Santa’s sleigh takes an unexpected turn in an engaging contemporary spin on the classic 19th-century poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”
In Jensen’s (The Worrywart Elf, 2013, etc.) latest children’s book, Dizzy the Elf yearns to have a high-flying adventure, just like his best friend Tizzy—who figures in both of the author’s earlier story poems. He sneaks onto Santa’s sleigh just before takeoff, “And burrowing down, his heart beating like mad, Small Dizzy felt dazzled at being so bad!” After millions of stops, Santa’s energy flags. His new GPS “Virtual Reins” device would allow him to catnap between chimneys, if only he knew how to operate it. Dizzy knows, but if he helps, his naughtiness will be discovered. What to do? The appealing energy and colorful verbal imagery is passably echoed in static illustrations by Agostini. At the home of brothers Stu and Drake, Santa knocks down a Christmas tree, and the brothers spot Dizzy when he drops through their skylight window to come to Santa’s aid (“And what to their wondering eyes then appeared, But a miniature man, who was quite pointy-eared”). When the brothers sneak a peek at the reindeer, they end up on the roof, and the startled animals take off over the rooftops. Stu comes to the rescue, using the Virtual Reins to bring the sleigh back to the brothers’ own rooftop, and he and Drake make it safely back inside. Dizzy hides on the sleigh again, and Santa is none the wiser. Or is he? As they “flew out of sight,” savvy, kind Santa surprises Dizzy and the brothers, too. One small error to correct: “Soon Santa popped up to the roof straightaway, With an handful of cookies to stow in his sleigh.”
The author propels her present-day take on the classic Christmas poem with gentle humor and suspense, smoothly incorporating lines from the original poem into her lively tale about a stowaway elf.Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2013
ISBN: 978-1492370314
Page Count: 30
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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
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