by Nathaniel Hobbie and illustrated by Jocelyn Hobbie ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2008
The Hobbie brother-and-sister team brings back Priscilla, their perky, pink-clad protagonist, for a fourth rhyming adventure, focused this time on finding Santa at the North Pole. Priscilla and her BFF, Bettina, take off on skis to try to find Santa Claus and meet some interesting characters along the way. They do reach the North Pole (cleverly marked with a gigantic pink striped pole) but a snowstorm forces them back home without meeting Santa. While examining a photo from the trip, the girls realize that Santa was actually in midflight behind them, and they just missed seeing him. This ending falls flat, with the buoyant fantasy aspects of their trip out of sync with the realism of the missed opportunity. If you can make it to the North Pole on skis pulling a sled of supplies, then you should be able to find Santa too. The whimsical illustrations awash in pinks and reds are amusing, and the rhyming verses are entertaining, but the ending leaves the reader feeling like a kid with just a lump of coal in a pretty pink stocking. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-316-11331-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2008
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BOOK REVIEW
by Nathaniel Hobbie & illustrated by Jocelyn Hobbie
by D.J. Steinberg ; illustrated by Laurie Stansfield ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 27, 2022
Effectively captures the excitement surrounding Valentine’s Day.
A collection of poems follows a group of elementary school students as they prepare for and celebrate Valentine’s Day.
One student starts the day by carefully choosing clothing in pink, purple, or red, while a family kicks off the morning with a breakfast of red, heart-shaped pancakes. At school, children create valentines until party time finally arrives with lots of yummy treats. The students give valentines to their school friends, of course, but we also see one child making a “special delivery” to a pet, a stuffed animal, family members, and even the crossing guard. The poems also extend the Valentine’s celebration to the community park, where other couples—some older, one that appears to be same-sex—are struck by cupid’s “magical love arrows.” Note the child running away: “Blech!” Not everyone wants to “end up in love!!!” But the spread devoted to Valentine’s jokes will please readers more interested in humor than in romance and inspire children to create their own jokes. To make the celebration complete, the last pages of the book contain stickers and a double-sided “BEE MINE!” valentine that readers can, with adult help, cut out. Cheery and kid-friendly, the poems can be read independently or from cover to cover as a full story. The cartoonish illustrations include lots of hearts and emphasize the growing Valentine’s Day excitement, depicting a diverse classroom that includes students who use wheelchairs. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Effectively captures the excitement surrounding Valentine’s Day. (Picture-book poetry. 4-6)Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-38717-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
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More In The Series
by D.J. Steinberg ; illustrated by John Joven
by D.J. Steinberg ; illustrated by Emanuel Wiemans
More by D.J. Steinberg
BOOK REVIEW
by D.J. Steinberg ; illustrated by Ruth Hammond
BOOK REVIEW
by D.J. Steinberg ; illustrated by John Joven
BOOK REVIEW
by D.J. Steinberg ; illustrated by Emanuel Wiemans
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2022
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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by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Paul Gill
BOOK REVIEW
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton
BOOK REVIEW
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Paul Gill
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