A fun, original tale for readers who can’t get enough Christmas stories.
A little tree realizes his dreams in this picture book about determination and the holiday spirit.
A sapling named Calvin wishes to become a Christmas tree. While most of the trees encourage him, the aging GrumpMeyer insists that Calvin is too small and weak. Still, Calvin has hope: “He knew that Christmas trees are special. A Christmas tree is more than just branches.” When Calvin gets his chance, he isn’t chosen at the tree store. Blown over by a gust of wind, Calvin lies forgotten in the snow. A little boy driving by with his father spots Calvin and insists that no one should be left alone on Christmas. The two take him home, but rather than bringing him inside, they plant him in the yard. That night, Santa gives Calvin a special ornament, and eventually he grows to be the tallest Christmas tree ever. Calvin’s faith in himself, despite a grouchy neighbor, should inspire those who have ever been told they’re too small. Bowling’s simple sentences break up the text into small chunks, making the entertaining, inventive story accessible to newly independent readers. The clever names of Calvin’s tree friends—FlexerStout, FinkleBark, TowerTwiddle—may prompt giggles. Dudarenka’s illustrations, evoking the 1950s and ’60s, mix realistic paintings of the all-white cast in a Rockwellian style with the anthropomorphic trees. Some of the images feel quite natural (GrumpMeyer’s face effectively blends into the branches), while others stand out as cartoonish.
A fun, original tale for readers who can’t get enough Christmas stories.Pub Date: Dec. 9, 2019
ISBN: 9781950957040
Page Count: 36
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 27, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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