A story that swings and misses at becoming a new holiday tradition.
After being taken from the farm, Piney the Christmas tree tries desperately to get back to the little girl who grew him from a seed.
Grandpa Sid, Georgie, and her pup, Jackster, live in the “town with the longest name in Europe!” Grandpa Sid owns a Christmas tree farm and invites Georgie to plant a tree seed of her own. From that seed, Piney grows, and after four years, Georgie plans to take him home, but he’s accidentally taken from the farm, bound for a tree lot. With the help of Jackster, Piney gets back to Georgie by Christmas Day. One year later, Piney also finds a second life as a book, The Lonesome Pine, written by Grandpa Sid; though the book is made from Piney, he is still alive and still a friend to Georgie. West Bakerink’s book is based on the CGI–animated, Emmy-nominated special Piney: The Lonesome Pine (2019), and the illustrations are stills from this short. Some of the best images are close-ups, like the one of Georgie gazing eagerly at a handful of seeds or the ultrarealistic detailing on her sweater. Otherwise, the images feel disjointed, interrupting the flow of the story. As for the tale itself, the more meaningful relationship seems to be between Georgie and her loving, determined pup, Jackster, even though Piney and his ultimate end as recycled goods are the focus. Grandpa Sid and Georgie are light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A story that swings and misses at becoming a new holiday tradition. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7624-8180-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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