A valuable addition to the holiday shelf.
Deja still believes in Santa, but her friends’ challenges leave her with questions.
Deja loves Christmas so much she counts down the days, hours, and seconds until it arrives. But the kids at school ask her how Santa finds her apartment if she has no chimney and insist that no one can live at the North Pole. Carmen says that even if Santa existed, “he’d never visit us in the city.” Mommy finds Deja weeping in her bedroom, and when Deja asks if Santa is real, Mommy sets about showing Deja just how Santa operates. No chimney? No problem: Santa has magic keys, like the superintendent. No parking? That’s OK: Santa parks on the roof of the apartment building and takes the stairs. Deja is satisfied with Mommy’s explanations, but more and more questions keep occurring to her. Finally, when Mommy says she has met Santa, Deja gets an idea. She decides to stay up to meet him herself and get her questions answered. Predictably, she falls asleep on the couch and misses his visit, which is depicted. But Santa leaves a note that assures her that “magic really does find a way.” This unique Christmas story will speak to many children whose lives don’t resemble the typical Christmas picture book featuring single-family homes with lawns and fireplaces. The vibrant colors and expressive faces give the illustrations an engaging energy. Deja’s family is Black with Jamaican roots, and Santa too is Black. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A valuable addition to the holiday shelf. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11025-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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