Underwhelming, though die-hard dog lovers will be pleased.
With the reindeer on strike, will Christmas be canceled?
Not if the corgis have anything to say about it. For Sergeant Major Barkington, Christmas is his Forever Home Day—the day he was adopted—and he knows that other puppies are waiting for a home, too. But the reindeer want time off to celebrate with their families. Luckily, the corgis have a surprise superpower: They can fly. Barkington is sure they can manage Santa’s sleigh, but the Queen must be consulted—the corgi queen, to be sure. Alas, the death of her owner (by implication, the Queen) has made the “pupple’s” queen sad, and she says no. But a couple of pups want to try anyway. They train, but on Christmas Eve, the three corgis manage to get only halfway around the world before giving out, “pooped.” In a deus ex machina twist, the Queen inexplicably decides to help, and together all the corgis finish the job. Chanani’s art is bright and firmly outlined, in a simple cartoon style, depicting amusing moments of doggy behavior. (The pups’ holiday pleasures include caroling and snagging a Christmas ham.) The occasional rhymes are weak, however; Smith’s text lacks rhythm, while the story is flimsily structured. The tale concludes with the pups making time to celebrate, “just like any other Christmas” (readers may wonder: Couldn’t the reindeer have worked and celebrated, too?). Nevertheless, the Queen’s message—“Christmas only ends if we don’t share it”—is worthwhile.
Underwhelming, though die-hard dog lovers will be pleased. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9781665925266
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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