Heartwarming and festive.
A young girl wants to make the Korean Harvest Festival extra special for her grandmother.
On this day, families come together, remember their ancestors, and enjoy a feast—similar to Thanksgiving. This is the first year that Su-Jin’s Halmoni will be away from Korea, and Su-Jin confides in her pals Maddie and Keisha that she’s afraid her grandmother will miss her friends and family. So the girls ask Halmoni to teach them how to observe Chuseok. Together, they wrap small ceremonial gifts known as bojagi and cook traditional dishes such as japchae noodles and scallion pancakes. They invite their friends, and the celebration is a vibrant success, with everyone trying new foods and sharing family stories. The lively descriptions of the holiday convey a sense of warmth as Halmoni is welcomed into the community. The illustrations have a subtle sweetness that delights. Chuseok is a lunar holiday, and images of the moon abound; it all culminates in a luminous full moon. A traditional Korean quilt hanging on the wall contains vibrant geometrical patterns that are echoed throughout the book. Several pages are divided into panels focusing on key moments or objects (a bottle of sesame oil, hands rolling songpyeon, or rice cakes shaped like half-moons). Maddie is light-skinned, Keisha is brown-skinned, and their community is diverse.
Heartwarming and festive. (more information on Chuseok) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2025
ISBN: 9781636551616
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Red Comet Press
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
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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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