Gross but that’s what they were going for.
Christmas is going to stink this year.
This tale from the creators of The Great Big Poop Party (2020) finds children requesting that Santa bring them not toys or treats but Christmas poo, and Santa doesn’t know what to do. Santa is not a fan of bathroom humor and takes a stance against the pro-poop majority at the North Pole, which includes Mrs. Claus, an abominable snowman, and the elves. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Santa has a limited view of Christmas enjoyment, while the others realize that the holiday can mean many things to different people: ‘I just don’t think Christmas is the time for poop,’ said Santa. ‘Christmas is a time for peace.’ The elves knew Christmas was a time for peace, but they wondered if it could also be a time for poop.” A chance encounter with a whoopee cushion during a strained discussion might be enough to break the tension and change Santa’s mind. The toilet humor comes fast and furious—so much so that it could make even an atheist say, “Hey, come on, some things are sacred!”—but for children (and caregivers) who can’t get enough poop jokes, this book will be a hit. The energetic mixed-media illustrations keep pace with the text, and a recipe for “Reindeer Dropping Treats” may add a new cookie to families’ holiday rotations of sweets. Santa and Mrs. Claus are light-skinned; the elves vary in skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Gross but that’s what they were going for. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-83710-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Cookie-cutter predictability.
After all the daring escapes in the How To Catch… series, will the kids be able to catch Santa?
Oddly, previous installments saw the children trying (and failing) to catch an elf and a reindeer, but both are easily captured in this story. Santa, however, is slippery. Tempted but not fooled by poinsettias, a good book (attached to a slingshot armed with a teddy bear projectile), and, of course, milk and cookies, Santa foils every plan. The hero in a red suit has a job to do. Presents must be placed, and lists must be checked. He has no time for traps and foolery (except if you’re the elf, who falls for every one of them). Luckily, Santa helps the little rascal escape each time. Little is new here—the kids resort to similar snares found in previous works: netting, lures, and technological wonders such as the Santa Catcher 5000. Although the rhythm falters quite a bit (“How did we get out you ask? / It looked like we were done for. / Santa’s magic is very real, / and I cannot reveal more”), fans of the series may not mind. Santa and Christmas just might be enough to overcome the flaws. Santa and the elf are light-skinned, one of the children is brown-skinned, and the other presents as Asian. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Cookie-cutter predictability. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781728274270
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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