Adults might find Peanut’s cheery, repetitive catchphrase annoying, but kids will likely eat this up.
Border continues his food-as-characters shtick with this Christmas tale about a family of peanuts celebrating the holiday together.
The unusual illustrations feature real peanuts, still in their shells, photographed in amusing scenes filled with small props and backgrounds of water, snow, or Christmas-cookie trees. The peanuts have wire arms and legs, character-differentiating hats, and wire-framed glasses that give the illusion of eyes. The main character, Peanut, who wears a propeller beanie, and his parents encounter difficulties on the way to Grandma’s house for Christmas dinner, such as a “traffic jelly,” instead of a traffic jam. They invite each peanut character who assists them to join the group and come along to Grandma’s for dinner, Peanut informing each one, “Don’t be sad! I’ll cheer you up! I’m the Merry Christmas Nut!” Each additional peanut has something special to offer, and with teamwork, the group solves further problems. The cumulative story has a traditional folk-tale sensibility with its repeated refrain, journey complicated by obstacles, assistance from strangers along the way, and rewards for those who help others in need. The funny conclusion shows Peanut and his family and friends enjoying their Christmas dinner with real (though tiny) food items, followed by an ice-hockey match on a Popsicle skating rink.
Adults might find Peanut’s cheery, repetitive catchphrase annoying, but kids will likely eat this up. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-17621-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Effectively captures the excitement surrounding Valentine’s Day.
A collection of poems follows a group of elementary school students as they prepare for and celebrate Valentine’s Day.
One student starts the day by carefully choosing clothing in pink, purple, or red, while a family kicks off the morning with a breakfast of red, heart-shaped pancakes. At school, children create valentines until party time finally arrives with lots of yummy treats. The students give valentines to their school friends, of course, but we also see one child making a “special delivery” to a pet, a stuffed animal, family members, and even the crossing guard. The poems also extend the Valentine’s celebration to the community park, where other couples—some older, one that appears to be same-sex—are struck by cupid’s “magical love arrows.” Note the child running away: “Blech!” Not everyone wants to “end up in love!!!” But the spread devoted to Valentine’s jokes will please readers more interested in humor than in romance and inspire children to create their own jokes. To make the celebration complete, the last pages of the book contain stickers and a double-sided “BEE MINE!” valentine that readers can, with adult help, cut out. Cheery and kid-friendly, the poems can be read independently or from cover to cover as a full story. The cartoonish illustrations include lots of hearts and emphasize the growing Valentine’s Day excitement, depicting a diverse classroom that includes students who use wheelchairs. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Effectively captures the excitement surrounding Valentine’s Day. (Picture-book poetry. 4-6)Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-38717-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
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
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