Warming through and through.
A friendship story for under the tree.
“Finally it feels like Christmas,” Mistletoe the mouse thinks to herself as she walks through the snow to her friend Norwell the elephant’s house. But Norwell doesn’t like the cold and won’t come outside to join her. Instead, Mistletoe visits him inside his cozy house for tea before heading home. Eager to encourage her friend to experience the peaceful beauty of a wintertime snowfall, Mistletoe devises a plan to help him be more comfortable outside. That plan involves lots of yarn and lots of knitting. In fact, Hills devotes several spreads to the process of knitting and buying more colorful yarn before Mistletoe finally completes her friend’s gift on Christmas Eve. When she awakens on Christmas morning, Mistletoe finds that Santa has visited, but instead of opening her gifts, she hurries out the door with her enormous present tied up with a bow to deliver to Norwell. He, too, has made something for her: a painting he based on seeing her enjoying the snowfall. But readers’ favorite picture will likely be the one that reveals Norwell all dressed up in the enormous, colorful knitted bodysuit that Mistletoe made for him. Though his outfit is striped, not checkered, some readers may liken Norwell’s appearance to David McKee’s Elmer the Patchwork Elephant; all readers will be delighted to finally see him outside with his friend.
Warming through and through. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-17442-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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
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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
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