A mixed bag: disappointing text but stunning illustrations.
Based loosely on the lullaby that begins, “I see the moon, and the moon sees me,” this book takes young readers on a journey around the world while following the phases of the moon.
From the plains of Mongolia to the Taj Mahal in India to a ship on an unnamed sea, the rhyming text simultaneously describes the status of the moon and the people and places it shines over. The words are a dialogue, alternating between a child asking the moon a question and the moon’s answers. Each call-and-response pairing is presented on a separate double-page spread and is accompanied by illustrations that show the moon phase described. While informative, the text is often clunky and lacks a logical flow. For example, it is unclear why the author mentions specific destinations in Europe and Asia and leaves other locations up to readers’ imaginations. Furthermore, the presentation can be confusing for a picture-book audience. At one point, for instance, the text mentions that what appears to be a half-moon is actually a quarter moon, but this mystifying statement is explained only in the backmatter. Where the book truly shines is in its visuals: Han masterfully uses a rich, dark palette to create pictures full of depth and life; in particular, the book’s two wordless spreads use light brilliantly. The illustrations include characters with a variety of hair textures and skin tones. The backmatter includes a general note on the moon, a glossary, and a description of the phases with accompanying illustrations; all is well written and fascinating for young readers.
A mixed bag: disappointing text but stunning illustrations. (Picture book. 3-6 )Pub Date: June 23, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1033-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
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
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