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
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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