The inimitable Auntie Claus is back for another Kringle family lesson in the true meaning of Christmas in this successful sequel (Auntie Claus, 1999). This time Auntie Claus’s young nephew, Christopher, decides that he actually wants to be on the B-B-and-G list (that’s the bad boys and girls who won’t be getting any presents). Not only does Chris not believe that Auntie Claus is Santa’s older sister, he also is beginning to have doubts about Christmas altogether. Chris takes his own trip, with the help of Auntie Claus’s diamond key, on the mysterious glass elevator that shoots him straight to Santa’s magical kingdom. There Chris learns that he does indeed believe in Christmas, and that the key to believing is just as Auntie Claus said, “All the best things are invisible. . . . Sometimes you have to believe in order to see.” Primavera’s stylish illustrations in jewel tones are darkly lit with just the right sense of mysterious danger and theatrical suspense for this dramatic tale. Several illustrations recall the movie version of The Wizard of Oz : the tall-hatted guard at the enormous door who turns away the outsider on a quest, the army of strange henchmen, the huge disembodied head who rules a group of followers based on their misbeliefs, and a magical snow globe with Chris inside. In fact, the things that Chris learns at the North Pole—believing in yourself, appreciating your family, and the power of the invisible—are the same lessons Dorothy learned in Oz. “There’s no place like home,” and for anyone named Kringle, there’s no place quite like the North Pole. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-15-202441-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Silver Whistle/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2002
A holiday outing that doesn’t quite satisfy.
In this follow-up to singer Parton and co-author Perl’s Billy the Kid Makes It Big (2023), literal and figurative bumps in the road imperil the touring canine country star’s promise to be home for Christmas.
Inspired by one of Parton’s holiday songs, the tale sees Billy, a small brown French bulldog, and bandmates Bo, Buster, and Binky boarding a tour bus for “pawsome” glimpses of natural wonders along with meetings with fans and “puparazzi.” Then, although Billy has sent many letters home promising to be there for the holiday, an invitation to play Barkafeller Center on Christmas Day instantly changes his tune. “Billy was happy. Though he still felt a little…he wasn’t sure what.” Readers may be excused for having mixed feelings about his mixed feelings, not to mention his tersely unapologetic note to the folks. But when, thanks to a bus-busting rock in the road on Christmas Eve, it looks like the band will have to contrive their own celebration (“Silent night, howly night”), Billy remembers that he started making music in the first place for his loved ones. He has no problem bagging the big concert (Fans? What fans? Contract? What contract?) when Dolly herself rolls up in her own bus to offer a ride back to his “Tennessee mountain home” in time for a small show for “the most important audience in the world.” While Billy cuts an endearing figure in Haley’s cartoonish illustrations, his willingness to disappoint first family, then fans may have readers feeling less than cheery.
A holiday outing that doesn’t quite satisfy. (lyrics to Parton’s “Comin’ Home for Christmas”) (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780593755006
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A holiday title worthy of even the most reticent feline companion.
Having survived snow and sleep, Flubby faces his most dire opponent yet: heart-shaped holidays.
Right from the start, Flubby’s owner, a brown-haired child with brown skin, declares that since today is Valentine’s Day, they intend to show Flubby some love. Flubby, a stubby-legged white cat with gray markings, reacts as any cat would—which is to say, he couldn’t care less. Cards, fruit baskets, and flowers all prove insufficient gifts for an insufficiently interested cat—he can’t read, he doesn’t like to eat fruit, and the flowers make him sneeze. Fortunately, where gifts fail, good old-fashioned hugs are always a welcome choice. Any cat-owning kid reading this story may instantly recognize Flubby’s very catlike instincts to curl up in an empty heart-shaped box or try to sit in the fruit basket. Humor is conveyed in Flubby’s complete lack of facial expressions, more than anything else. The simple text, ideal for new readers, shines through, illuminating the heart within the story. As holiday titles go, this one sticks to the rudimentary basics of what it truly means to love your pet. Child readers may also find that they identify sometimes with the child owner, and sometimes with the preternaturally self-possessed Flubby.
A holiday title worthy of even the most reticent feline companion. (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780593523421
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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