by Joshua Seigal ; illustrated by Amélie Falière ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 10, 2017
This unusual parody will appeal to a huge number of readers—but not all, of course. Sad! (Picture book. 3-7)
This British import tells the story of Morris, a thoroughly spoiled boy who demands larger and larger presents from his adoring parents over the 12 days of Christmas.
Morris has blond hair that swoops down over his forehead, distinctly orange skin, and rather chubby cheeks and tummy. He wears a dark blue suit, a red tie, and a perpetually petulant look. Morris also sports a red crown, and his indulgent parents call him “sweet prince,” though there is nothing at all sweet about Morris. His parents (who have pink cheeks rather than orange) give him just a tiny package on the first day of Christmas, but Morris rejects their gift. He demands larger and larger gifts on the following days, with adjectives ranging from “huge” to “gargantuan,” and the 12th takes up the entire double-page spread, flattening Morris. In a deadpan conclusion, his parents lead him away, perhaps none the wiser as to the effects of his unmitigated greed. Cartoon-style illustrations in bright colors use simple shapes standing out against white backgrounds, with each numbered present wrapped in paper of a different pattern. Young readers will see this as a story about a spoiled child who is crushed by his excessive demands; adult readers will recognize the similarities between Morris and President Trump and the underlying political commentary.
This unusual parody will appeal to a huge number of readers—but not all, of course. Sad! (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-911171-06-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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by Joshua Seigal ; illustrated by Amélie Falière
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings
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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by Jane Chapman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 16, 2024
Cheery fun that will leave series fans “egg”-static.
In his latest outing, Bear and his pals go in search of eggs.
Bear “lumbers with his friends through the Strawberry Vale.” Raven finds a nest; climbing up, “The bear finds eggs!”: a refrain that appears throughout. Instead of eating the robin’s eggs, however, Bear leaves a gift of dried berries in the nest for the “soon-to-be-chicks.” Next, the friends find 10 mallard eggs (as bright blue as the robin’s), and Bear leaves sunflower seeds. Then the wail of Mama Meadowlark, whose bright yellow undercarriage strikes a warm golden note, leads them to promise to find her lost eggs. With his friends’ assistance, Bear finds one, and they decide to paint them “so they aren’t lost again.” Another is discovered, painted, and placed in Hare’s basket. After hours of persistent searching, Bear suddenly spots the remaining two eggs “in a small patch of clover.” Before they can return these eggs, the chicks hatch and rejoin their mother. Back at his lair, Bear, with his troupe, is visited by all 17 chicks and the robin, mallard, and meadowlark moms: “And the bear finds friends!” Though this sweet spring tale centers on finding and painting eggs, it makes no overt references to Easter. The soft green and blue acrylics, predictable rhymes, and rolling rhythm make this series installment another low-key natural read-aloud.
Cheery fun that will leave series fans “egg”-static. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781665936552
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by AG Ford
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by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by Jane Chapman
BOOK REVIEW
by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by Jane Chapman
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