by Linas Alsenas & illustrated by Linas Alsenas ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2006
In his debut, Alsenas offers a modern Mrs. Claus and an expressive Santa with a range of emotions that extends beyond jolly. As the story opens, Mrs. Claus is pale and overworked for good reason—she’s “never taken a vacation in her life,” poor woman! When she decides that it’s now her turn to enjoy some world travels, she leaves Santa at home with the cat and takes off with the sleigh and a single reindeer. Subsequent spreads alternate between her travel adventures (sunbathing at a beach resort, folk dancing in Scandinavia, eating sushi in Japan) and Santa’s lonely preparations for Christmas back home at the North Pole. (The elves are apparently too busy in the toy factory to help.) Just before the holiday, Mrs. Claus flies home to a warm welcome from her newly appreciative husband, who invites her to accompany him on his Christmas Eve journey. This quietly told story offers some insights into the value of traveling to new places, how it feels to be the one left behind and the meaning of shared experiences. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-439-77978-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2006
Share your opinion of this book
More by Linas Alsenas
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Linas Alsenas & illustrated by Linas Alsenas
BOOK REVIEW
by Jim Krieg Linas Alsenas & illustrated by Linas Alsenas
by Loren Long & illustrated by Loren Long ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2009
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Loren Long ; illustrated by Loren Long
by Loren Long ; illustrated by Loren Long
by Loren Long ; illustrated by Loren Long
More by Jason June
BOOK REVIEW
by Jason June ; illustrated by Loren Long
BOOK REVIEW
by Amanda Gorman ; illustrated by Loren Long
BOOK REVIEW
by Lisa Wheeler ; illustrated by Loren Long
More About This Book
SEEN & HEARD
by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2017
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
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
More by Adam Wallace
BOOK REVIEW
by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Christopher Nielsen
BOOK REVIEW
by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
BOOK REVIEW
by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.