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RIVER ROSE AND THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS

Name: RIVER ROSE AND THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS
Author: Kelly Clarkson
ISBN: 978-0-06-269764-6

by Kelly Clarkson ; illustrated by Lucy Fleming ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 24, 2017

A cheerful effort with a tiny, heartfelt message tucked in River Rose’s red envelope.

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In this second entry about River Rose, the protagonist uses magical balloons to float to the North Pole, where she enjoys fantastical treats and meets Santa Claus.

River Rose, a white girl with short, blonde hair and freckles, has written a letter to Santa and wants to deliver it in person. On Christmas Eve, she and her little dog fly off with the balloons, following the sounds of singing voices. They find their way to Santa’s village at the North Pole, where they are welcomed by Mrs. Claus and the elves (singing a verse from a song by Clarkson). While waiting for Santa’s return, River Rose and her dog join the elves in sampling 10 enchanted treats, such as flavored snowballs and life-size gingerbread houses. When Santa returns the sleepy girl and dog to their home, River Rose gives him her letter, which simply says, “Thank you!” On Christmas morning, the girl finds a special present under her tree: a music box that plays the elves’ Christmas song. The story is told in rhyming couplets in a cheery though somewhat singsong rhythm, with only one verse from the elves’ special song (which can be heard in full online). Fleming’s mixed-media collage illustrations elevate the story with exuberant action and amusing details. The elves have varying skin tones and include both males and females. Santa and his wife are white, and Mrs. Claus is refreshingly modern with short, gray hair, jeans, and stylish red boots.

A cheerful effort with a tiny, heartfelt message tucked in River Rose’s red envelope. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-06-269764-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
RIVER ROSE AND THE MAGICAL LULLABY
by Kelly Clarkson ; illustrated by Laura Hughes

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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YOUR BABY'S FIRST WORD WILL BE DADA

by Jimmy Fallon ; illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2015

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.

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A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.

A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.

Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)