A heartwarming holiday tale.
An illustrated children’s Christmas story about a grouchy author, a surprise visit from Santa Claus, and a lost family found.
P.T. Grumbles is a writer and critic who’s finishing up a large round of interviews with “the most famous people in the world” for publication as a book. When he’s nearly finished with the work, a young child of one of the interviewees asks him if he’s going to include an interview with Santa. Grumbles is attracted to this idea and decides that it would be a fitting conclusion for his book. Although he despises the Christmas holiday—his adoptive parents always made it a miserable experience—he decorates his house to lure Santa in on Christmas Eve and request an exclusive. The plan works: Santa agrees to talk to Grumbles but says that the writer must travel with him on his gift-giving rounds. Along the way, Grumbles asks Santa questions about how he can possibly deliver presents to all the children in the world, how his reindeer can fly, and how Santa gets into homes that lack chimneys; however, the jolly old elf’s answers are vague and mysterious. Soon, Santa asks Grumbles about his past and then enlists his help for a delivery—an event that changes the course of the writer’s life. Hunter presents a tale that’s likely to appeal to young children and may even appeal to young teens. Over the course of the narrative, the tone is warm and humorous, and the narrative style is comfortable and straightforward. The events of the story take a touching turn toward the end, and things wrap up with a satisfying conclusion and a clear moral that will be easy for young readers to understand. The characterization builds to an upbeat, family-centered ending that highlights love and friendship. Hunter’s occasional, full-color painterly illustrations depict Grumbles and Santa at key points in the narrative.
A heartwarming holiday tale.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-64161-003-2
Page Count: 51
Publisher: Finstock & Tew Publishers
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
<p>Perfectly fine but nothing new.</p>
Caregiver-child love abounds in this rhyming board book full of animal puns.
One thing’s for certain, there’s plenty of sweet (and groanworthy) sentiments in this book. Rossner writes, “Giving HOGS and kisses / sends me to the moon!” and, “I’m such a lucky DUCK. / You really QUACK me up!” The book progresses entirely in this fashion, with a new animal pair and pun with each page turn. It reads well as a book for a caregiver to share with a lap-sitting child. On that mark, it succeeds in providing plenty of opportunities for giggles and snuggles. That said, at times the meter is forced, making the cadence a bit stilted, and the cuddles/bubbles rhyme is a dubious one. This is an issue for a book that will almost solely be read aloud. Gibson’s illustrations are very charming; the animals and insects with big eyes and expressive faces have high appeal. The warmth of the animals’ embraces and cuddles translates well from the page, inviting the same snuggles from readers. Decorated eggs appear on each page, and the bunny pair from the cover features prominently. Overall, the concept and message of the book are high interest and age-appropriate, but it doesn’t stand out from the very crowded shelf of “I love you, little one!” books similar to it.
<p>Perfectly fine but nothing new.</p> (Board book. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2343-8
Page Count: 25
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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