Funny—but not funny enough.
How do children’s letters to Santa reach their destination? Via Peppermint Post, of course!
Buck, an anthropomorphic polar bear, is postmaster of the Peppermint Post, which means he’s in charge of ensuring that Santa receives all the letters children send him. His job is especially demanding during the Christmas rush, and luckily, he has a team of penguins to assist him (the text eventually acknowledges that these birds “belong at the South Pole, not the North!”). Alas, just when Buck thinks all the mail has been handled and Santa departs for his Christmas Eve trip, he finds an errant letter. Buck scrambles to right this wrong, enlisting the penguins to pull him in a backup sleigh to go off in pursuit of Santa and his reindeer (the text also acknowledges that penguins are flightless birds). Hijinks ensue in the chase, with Laberis’ cartoony art working overtime to augment the humor of “a hairy shortcut” through a train tunnel, among other mishaps. Buck and his team eventually catch up with St. Nick at the house of the child who wrote the misplaced letter. More slapstick scenes arise in this setting, though readers may close the book scratching their heads rather than laughing as Santa, the reindeer, the penguins, and Buck all depart the house together, without any indication of what’s become of the backup sleigh.
Funny—but not funny enough. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-284717-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.
A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.
The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665954761
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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