A meta Yuletide riot.
Christmas imagery distracts readers from a reptile’s lecture on rocks.
A bespectacled orange-and-green lizard, who is hanging out in a snow-covered rocky landscape, wants to make something clear: “This is NOT a Christmas book….This is a book about rocks.” For this reason, the lizard is none too pleased with what’s going on “over there. Behind the ninth piece of granite on the right. With the pointy ears and the pointy hat and the pointy shoes. Gasp! I think that might be an ELF!” The lizard tries to head off the problem—“Hey! You! Elf! This is NOT a Christmas book”—but the yellow-skinned imp feels otherwise. The story has a seek-and-find element, with Christmas motifs popping up, often in the shape of rocks; meanwhile, the lizard continues the campaign to sell readers on the glory of rocks (“Up next, we have some sandstone….Wow, right?”). The hilariously exasperated, fourth wall–breaking, single-minded lizard is reminiscent of Mo Willems’ Pigeon, but the chunky, carefully composed digital art is Collet-Derby’s own. The tension between the lizard and the elf is reflected in the contrast between the book’s grayscale natural landscape and Christmas’ unstoppable full-color assault. And yes, the lizard finally submits to the lure of Christmas when a certain red-suited someone gives our protagonist a gift that only a lizard—at least this lizard—could love.
A meta Yuletide riot. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9780374394011
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
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
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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