A Christmas tale that humorously imparts a teamwork lesson that can be practiced all year long.
A holiday rivalry turns into a recipe for success.
A powder blue goblin with huge eyes looks right at readers and bemoans the fact that elves hog the holiday spotlight and that everyone thinks they are perfect. After all, goblins officiate at the Great Sock Slug Race, participate in Pigeon Plucking Day, and support Taco Tuesdays! And goblins work hard, too. The protagonist decides to go to the North Pole and prove once and for all that goblins are just as capable as elves. The goblin tries caring for reindeer, wrapping presents, and making toys, with disastrous but funny results. Being an elf is difficult until the goblin learns the secret: T.O.Y.S., or “Teamwork Optimizes Your Success.” Careful observation of the colorful, appealing Christmas-themed illustrations shows the goblin working alone at the beginning of the book while the elves collaborate. But after trying T.O.Y.S., the Goblin successfully completes some tasks that previously presented a challenge. In the end, the goblin embraces T.O.Y.S., or is that toys? The goblin is a relatable protagonist, and the story contains a solid message. Adults will chuckle at references to the Keebler-esque elf who bakes cookies in a hollow tree, the Elf on the Shelf, and the three elves associated with the “world’s loudest cereal.” The elves are depicted with an assortment of skin and hair tones. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A Christmas tale that humorously imparts a teamwork lesson that can be practiced all year long. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781665921794
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
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
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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