Too much Santa is a bad thing done just right.
Santa overstays his welcome after Christmas, overwhelming a family with North Pole visitors.
It’s hard to imagine a world in which Santa’s everyday presence would be too much, but that’s what happens to one child and their family after Santa visits and stays. What’s more, it’s not just Santa who moves in; it’s Mrs. Claus; their kitten, Santa Paws; Santa’s parents and in-laws; even the reindeer. As the year goes by and the family observes various holidays, such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, all with too much Yuletide cheer, the child eventually steps in and teaches Santa a lesson about the sanctity and joy of Christmas. Sharff’s rhyming text reads well, giving the story a bouncy pace while keeping the pages turning. Kaban’s illustrations feature a multiracial central family and character ensemble, and the child who narrates the story has brown skin; Santa is light-skinned, while Mrs. Claus is tan-skinned. In addition, the illustrations convey a feeling of movement and action, whether it’s Easter bunnies hopping around the house or a chaotic Fourth of July party. Together, the story and art make for a smileworthy book with lots of playful silliness and a gentle reminder about the heart of Christmas. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Too much Santa is a bad thing done just right. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-32523-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
As ephemeral as a valentine.
Daywalt and Jeffers’ wandering crayons explore love.
Each double-page spread offers readers a vision of one of the anthropomorphic crayons on the left along with the statement “Love is [color].” The word love is represented by a small heart in the appropriate color. Opposite, childlike crayon drawings explain how that color represents love. So, readers learn, “love is green. / Because love is helpful.” The accompanying crayon drawing depicts two alligators, one holding a recycling bin and the other tossing a plastic cup into it, offering readers two ways of understanding green. Some statements are thought-provoking: “Love is white. / Because sometimes love is hard to see,” reaches beyond the immediate image of a cat’s yellow eyes, pink nose, and black mouth and whiskers, its white face and body indistinguishable from the paper it’s drawn on, to prompt real questions. “Love is brown. / Because sometimes love stinks,” on the other hand, depicted by a brown bear standing next to a brown, squiggly turd, may provoke giggles but is fundamentally a cheap laugh. Some of the color assignments have a distinctly arbitrary feel: Why is purple associated with the imagination and pink with silliness? Fans of The Day the Crayons Quit (2013) hoping for more clever, metaliterary fun will be disappointed by this rather syrupy read.
As ephemeral as a valentine. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Dec. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-9268-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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