A lively holiday tale that may make youngsters wonder why Santa ever used reindeer in the first place.
An adorable team of enthusiastic huskies helps Santa Claus in this picture book from debut author Egar and illustrator Campeau (Mon guide nature, 2019, etc.).
Santa just doesn’t know what to do when the elves tell him the reindeer are sick. Rudolph pledges to pull the sleigh himself, but he has a fever, so Santa needs another plan. First, a “famous daredevil pilot,” a woman with windblown black hair, offers to transport Santa, but the plane won’t fit all the toys. Then local huskies Romeo and Sheba call for their friends to help. Several other boisterous huskies arrive to pull Santa’s sleigh, and one irrepressible pup, Frost, is determined to be the most helpful dog of all. The mission goes smoothly despite one small hiccup when Frost tries to catch a falling star, and Santa’s very grateful. The ending here is no surprise—Christmas is saved once again—but the dogs steal the show. Campeau’s action-packed, painterly color images show the pups in energetic states, whether they’re playing with polar bears or engaging in a game of tag. The few slightly challenging vocabulary words (“halted,” “harnesses”) are clear from context, and the simply structured sentences will help newly independent readers feel confident.
A lively holiday tale that may make youngsters wonder why Santa ever used reindeer in the first place.Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-73359-330-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: Whistle Oak
Review Posted Online: June 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PROFILES
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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