Imitating this sweet holiday story means work for parents, but looks like fun for youngsters.
In this debut children’s book, elves staying overnight in a gingerbread house trade notes and gifts with a family’s kids as Christmas approaches.
Two young sisters, Meghan and Mollie, have an exciting morning ahead. “You’re going to make your very own gingerbread house!” explains their mom. “It will take two days, but it will be beautiful and—if you are lucky—magical.” If Santa’s elves like the house, they might stay there at night. After that? “Just believe in the magic of Christmas, and wait and see,” says their mother. With her help, they make the gingerbread, cut it into pieces with stencils, and mix up icing-sugar mortar, then put it together carefully. Their father gives them a box of miniature decorations—a tiny Christmas tree, a group of carolers, some ice skaters—to make the house lively, because elves like to play. The next morning, there’s a quarter for the girls (rent money), plus a thank-you note from five elves, Hans, Grietal, Stefan, Kirsten, and Franz. As Christmas approaches, elves and children exchange notes and small gifts, such as an Advent calendar. The elves are friendly, but give parental advice and push back against certain requests: “Now, Meghan and Mollie, you know how Santa feels about giving puppies for Christmas” (he’s against it). The girls also befriend a lonely new student in school, Sammy, who’s living with her grandmother while her parents are deployed overseas. She joins in writing letters and making presents for the elves, cheering her spirits for the holiday. Everyone has a magical Christmas. Inspired by a longtime family tradition, Franks offers a warmhearted tale for families that observe Christmas. The notes and little gifts, as well as the vision of elves throwing miniature snowballs and ice-skating all night, are charming, as are Guillory’s (Where Poppy Lives, 2016, etc.) expressive, lively illustrations. But the book does raise children’s expectations for a similar tradition in their own families, and parents should consider whether they want to commit themselves to what turns out to be a fairly elaborate plan.
Imitating this sweet holiday story means work for parents, but looks like fun for youngsters.Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-931721-10-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bright Sky Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
<p>Perfectly fine but nothing new.</p>
Caregiver-child love abounds in this rhyming board book full of animal puns.
One thing’s for certain, there’s plenty of sweet (and groanworthy) sentiments in this book. Rossner writes, “Giving HOGS and kisses / sends me to the moon!” and, “I’m such a lucky DUCK. / You really QUACK me up!” The book progresses entirely in this fashion, with a new animal pair and pun with each page turn. It reads well as a book for a caregiver to share with a lap-sitting child. On that mark, it succeeds in providing plenty of opportunities for giggles and snuggles. That said, at times the meter is forced, making the cadence a bit stilted, and the cuddles/bubbles rhyme is a dubious one. This is an issue for a book that will almost solely be read aloud. Gibson’s illustrations are very charming; the animals and insects with big eyes and expressive faces have high appeal. The warmth of the animals’ embraces and cuddles translates well from the page, inviting the same snuggles from readers. Decorated eggs appear on each page, and the bunny pair from the cover features prominently. Overall, the concept and message of the book are high interest and age-appropriate, but it doesn’t stand out from the very crowded shelf of “I love you, little one!” books similar to it.
<p>Perfectly fine but nothing new.</p> (Board book. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2343-8
Page Count: 25
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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