A simple Christmas parable that encourages young readers to be steadfast in their faith.
This children’s book provides a new perspective on Christmas.
Some kids in the woods beg their grandfather to tell a story again, one they already know well. He begins his tale with an old redwood tree in the wilderness that shakes its limbs, allowing a seed to fall on the first Christmas night. With a repeated refrain of “Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God in the highest,” he recounts how the animals hear the news of the birth of the Lamb of God and spread the message far and wide. The creatures wonder if this Lamb of God will come to the woods. Meanwhile, the old tree continues to protect the seedling as it grows strong. The animals hear of the news that the Messiah is preaching, and they continue to pass the message along from creature to creature. The young tree decides to follow Jesus’ teachings by spreading its roots and helping the forest ecosystem. One day, a storm rages, and lightning strikes the young tree at the same time that the animals hear of the death of Jesus. The tree, though struck, remains steadfast in its faith and its duty to the woods. Grandfather encourages the children that they should do the same. Kirk punctuates her straightforward parable with illustrations that feature delicate black lines, providing gentle forest scenes that should appeal to young readers. The dialogue occasionally rhymes, though most of the story is written in unrhymed verse. There are useful resources at the end of the book that help connect the tale to Bible teachings. Though the parallels to the life of Jesus can seem a bit of a stretch, the sturdy redwood is an effective allegory for strong faith.
A simple Christmas parable that encourages young readers to be steadfast in their faith.Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5326-1201-5
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Wipf and Stock
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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