An often engaging but uneven Bible-centered tale of a special animal.
In Schorr’s illustrated children’s book, a camel without a hump realizes that his differences make him special.
The word gamal, the narrator notes in the opening pages of this rhyming picture book, is how some people “in the East” say camel. Amal is different from other camels, because “his hump was so small, / with practically no room for water at all.” The poor creature always feels thirsty, and he’s mocked by other camels. When Amal’s first journey comes, it’s an important one: The caravan captain announces that they’ll be traveling with wise men to visit a new king. Amal is worried he won’t make it across the desert, so he prays that the caravan will find plenty of water along the way. The faithful animal is soon rewarded with an oasis—and with knowledge when one of the wise men explains that camels’ humps aren’t reservoirs full of water, despite popular belief. Amal’s flat back makes him perfect for carrying the wise men’s gift of myrrh, as it won’t spill off him; after the caravan reaches their destination, his flat back is ideal for carrying Mary and the baby to Egypt. Schorr’s rhythmic rhymes are reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’ more complex tales; the stanzas shift in rhythm, with plenty of internal rhyme, and alternating schemes are likely to keep readers on their toes. Although the science lesson about camels’ humps does explain that the humps are made of muscle and fat (not water), that explanation does undermine how the fat provides the energy that camels need to travel long distances without additional sustenance. However, the triumphant celebration of Amal’s differences is a pleasantly familiar, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer–like Christmas lesson. Koontz’s painterly full-color illustrations mix realistic images with cartoonish expressions. Amal’s small hump usually has a tuft of blue hair, but in some illustrations, it’s missing; also, Koontz’s choice to represent Mary’s husband, Joseph, as an elderly man may strike some readers as odd.
An often engaging but uneven Bible-centered tale of a special animal.Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 9781645438694
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Mascot Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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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
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