A fresh, openhearted Christmas story about grief and acceptance.
Aanensen’s (Summer of the Suffragists, 2012, etc.) earnest chapter book tells the story of two Christmases, one ancient, one contemporary.
Oscar isn’t looking forward to his church’s Christmas pageant, especially because everyone has to prepare for it in October. “But it isn’t even Halloween yet,” he says to anyone who will listen. The truth is that Oscar’s father was killed in Iraq in January, and anything Christmas-related reminds Oscar of that giant rift. Oscar’s attitude is changed by a visit from an angel who attempts to remind Oscar of the true holiday spirit by taking him back to the first Christmas: the one in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Oscar gets a glimpse into the life of Omar, a camel boy whose life isn’t so different from his own. Omar recently lost his father, too; now an orphan, he’s sold into slavery to an old astrologer who’s about to set out on a journey following a star to see a prophesied king. The novel jumps back and forth between Oscar’s and Omar’s stories as they creep toward the two Christmases and learn lessons that will change their perspectives. Aanensen writes in clever, energetic prose that keeps readers in tune with her protagonists. She deftly switches between references appropriate for each time period: while Oscar alludes to the 2010 movie Tangled, Omar sees the world in terms of animals and agriculture. A camel trader’s voice can persuade his customers “like the flower pulls in a bee.” Though this is a Christmas story—infant Jesus does indeed make an appearance—there’s little overt religiosity. Though the plot is familiar, the book is much more concerned with the way children deal with emotional turmoil in the world around them and how they can learn to recognize the things they can rely on: family, friendship, and community.
A fresh, openhearted Christmas story about grief and acceptance.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2014
ISBN: 978-0983690528
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Gayle Eggen Aanensen LLC
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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