A unicorn, a pumpkin, and a monster make for light and entertaining Halloween fare.
Who knew a unicorn could be a scaredy-cat?
Lucy and her unicorn, Sparkle, anticipate fun at a pumpkin farm. They play games; eat treats, which Sparkle loves; and have spooky encounters, which Sparkle doesn’t. Decorating pumpkins is the unicorn’s least fun activity of all: His (carved with his horn) looks happy, but Lucy’s is scary, frightening him so much that he races into the darkened pumpkin patch, a worried Lucy calling after him. Sparkle hides; hearing a terrifying wail, he concludes it’s a “pumpkin monster.” Opening a large pumpkin, Sparkle steps inside, creating a perfect new hideaway. It’s perfect—except he still hears the monster’s fearsome cry and quakes in terror so much the pumpkin detaches from its vine and careens down a hill. Just then, Lucy spies a large pumpkin hurtling toward her and believes she’s within a monster’s clutches—until the pumpkin breaks open and…all ends well. Children will enjoy this cute but thin Halloween story that offers some thrills, sweet good cheer, and reassurances that loyal friendship rises above all. Illustrations are lively, humorous, and expressive; onomatopoeic sounds in large capitals are incorporated into text and art to dramatic effect. Lucy has dark, curly hair and pale beige skin. Sparkle is white with a pink heart on his rump; his blue horn resembles a party hat. Holiday-themed endpapers feature Sparkle.
A unicorn, a pumpkin, and a monster make for light and entertaining Halloween fare. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-374-30850-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A forgettable effort that fails to capture any of the magical charm of Santa’s story. (Picture book. 3-6)
Wallace and Elkerton continue their series about catching elusive mythical creatures (How to Catch a Leprechaun, 2016, etc.) with this Christmas story about an elf who must avoid traps constructed by children before Santa’s annual visit.
The unnamed elf narrator is the sole helper traveling with Santa on his delivery rounds on Christmas Eve, with each house featuring a different type of trap for elves. The spunky elf avoids a mechanical “elf snatcher,” hidden in a plate of cookies, as well as simple traps made of tinsel, double-sided tape, and a cardboard box concealing a mean-looking cat. Another trap looks like a bomb hidden in a box of candy, and a complicated trap in a maze has an evil cowboy clown with a branding iron, leading to the elf’s cry, “Hey, you zapped my tushy!” The bomb trap and the branding iron seem to push the envelope of child-made inventions. The final trap is located in a family grocery store that’s booby-trapped with a “Dinner Cannon” shooting out food, including a final pizza that the elf and Santa share. The singsong, rhyming text has a forced cheeriness, full of golly-jolly-holly Christmas spirit and too many exclamation marks, as well as rhyming word pairs that miss the mark. (No, little elf-boy, “smarter” and “harder” do not rhyme.) Bold, busy illustrations in a cartoon style have a cheeky appeal with a focus on the freckle-faced white elf with auburn curls and a costume with a retro vibe. (Santa is also white.)
A forgettable effort that fails to capture any of the magical charm of Santa’s story. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4631-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
