What do you get when you cross one of America’s most successful comedians with one of childhood’s most sacred days? A very funny picture book . . . for adults. Seinfeld’s (SeinLanguage, not reviewed) maiden effort for a child audience reads exactly like one of his stand-up routines: “. . . the first time you hear the concept of Halloween when you’re a kid, your brain can’t even process the idea. You’re like, ‘What is this? What did you say? Someone’s giving out candy? Who’s giving out candy? EVERYONE WE KNOW is just giving out candy?’ ” The narrative moves back and forth from the second-person address to a presumed adult audience to recollections of his own travails as a trick-or-treater. Parts are just gut-splitting, as when he finally gets his coveted Superman costume-in-a-box and realizes that the cruel reality is that it that it looks more like “Superman’s pajamas.” Magazine illustrator Bennett contributes high-energy paintings that depict a chubby-cheeked, youthful Seinfeld in a variety of dizzying perspectives that capture the momentum of the text: the bowed profile of child-Seinfeld trudging out the door in his baggy Superman costume, lantern-jawed plastic mask—and the winter coat his mother makes him wear—is priceless. But however well executed technically, it’s still, deep down, not a book for kids; the stance of the narrative necessarily demands a backward-looking audience, not an audience that is still living the experience of Halloween. Kids will like the bright illustrations and the consuming enthusiasm for candy, but ultimately there’s not much else there for them. The publisher labels the book for “all ages”—change that to 30-50, and you’ll get a much better match of product to audience. (Picture book. 12+)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-316-70625-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2002
SEEN & HEARD
A well-crafted tale that delivers an old, important message in a fresh, attractively imagined vehicle.
A sleepy child, addressed by the ornaments on her Christmas tree, teaches them and young readers about the true meaning of the holiday.
In this pleasant, handsomely illustrated picture book, a little girl overhears the ornaments on her Christmas tree arguing about who is most special, or the true star of Christmas. Soon the ornaments decide to ask the child to declare who is the Christmas VIP. Is it China Doll, full of sparkle and shine, or Gift Box, hiding a surprise inside? The magical Jolly Old Elf, or the merry and bright Silver Bell? Candidates also include increasingly viable choices, such as the cuddly teddy bear (who speaks of representing beloved family and friends of Christmas gatherings), a Wise King, representing charity, a Gentle Dove symbolizing peace and even the Crystal Angel who tops the tree. The girl keeps trying to tell them who the true star is, but is interrupted by the decorations until she finally points to a small ornament hanging on the bare broken branches near the tree’s bottom. It’s this child, she whispers, held in a simple wooden manger, who is the true star of Christmas. This story’s delicate, detailed illustrations and its fun-filled enumeration of what children often love best about Christmas will encourage young readers to guess where the story is going, while highlighting their favorite parts of this special holiday. By allowing the young child to deliver her spiritual message, DiVencenzo avoids sounding preachy; her restraint making this tale all the more touching and more accessible to young readers. The watercolor illustrations are full of texture and will attract children, who will find new surprises on each page. The girl, whose toes peek out of the feet of her spotted pajamas, is especially well illustrated; she is a charming narrator for this simple yet touching book.
A well-crafted tale that delivers an old, important message in a fresh, attractively imagined vehicle.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9816003-0-7
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Koller (Bouncing on the Bed, p. 143, etc.) portrays a Narragansett nickommoh, or celebratory gathering, from which it is very likely the tradition of Thanksgiving was drawn. As explained in an exemplary note—brief, clear, interesting—at the end of the book, these gatherings occurred 13 times a year, once each lunar month. The harvest gathering is one of the larger gatherings: a great lodge was built, copious food was prepared, and music and dance extended deep into the night. Koller laces the text with a good selection of Narragansett words, found in the glossary (although there is no key to pronunciation, even for words such as Taqountikeeswush and Puttuckquapuonck). The text is written as a chanted prose poem, with much repetition, which can be both incantatory and hackneyed, as when “frost lies thick on the fields at dawn, and the winged ones pass overhead in great numbers.” Mostly the phrases are stirring—as are Sewall’s scratchboard evocations—and often inspirational—for this nickommoh puts to shame what has become known as the day before the launch of the holiday shopping season. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-81094-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
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