A charmer about the special meanings of Hanukkah: joy, friendship, and inclusion.
Be bear-y mindful of whom you invite over for the holidays.
The young narrator’s adamant: Don’t invite a bear inside for Hanukkah! “You might think it’s a great idea because it’s always nice to invite guests inside to celebrate.” If you do, you’ve been forewarned. Don’t expect your guest to share the applesauce, latkes, or chocolate gelt. After the bear wolfs all the food down, the protagonist tells him to scram. Crying, the bear leaves. The child follows him to his den, only to see him lighting his own tree-branch menorah. How could the youngster have known that bears celebrate Hanukkah, too? The bear gives the child the menorah as a present. What a dilemma! The narrator doesn’t want the bear to celebrate Hanukkah alone, and inviting him back inside is a big no. Then an idea strikes! What about an outdoor Hanukkah celebration-cum-barbecue for everyone—complete with the bear’s menorah, latkes, and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts)? This sweet, good-humored story reminds readers that Hanukkah’s meant to be celebrated with family and friends (if not necessarily ursine ones) and that it’s important to accommodate guests. The rollicking, richly hued illustrations are cheerfully expressive. The human characters are tan-skinned and dark-haired; all appear to enjoy a delightful holiday celebration with their guest, even surrounded by snow. Backmatter notes that, per Jewish tradition, it’s a mitzvah to make guests feel special.
A charmer about the special meanings of Hanukkah: joy, friendship, and inclusion. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781681156422
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Apples & Honey Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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