Another warm and relatable triumph.
In the friends’ third outing, Frank faces two challenges: delayed gratification and honesty.
Frank the fox (who narrates) and Bert the bear’s previous picnics have been marred by mishaps: rain, wasps, a scary squirrel. But this one will be perfect—plus, Bert has brought along a surprise in his box. The duo set out for their favorite spot under a tree, near some rounded hills. The lunch looks delicious, and Frank can’t wait for the surprise. When it’s unfortunately delayed by Bert’s post-meal nap, Frank opens the box, which turns out to be full of caramel crunch cookies: “my absolute favorite cookies in the whole world.” Surely it would be OK to eat just one? “Or maybe even two…or three…or four…or five!” Uh-oh. Now Frank must explain why the box is empty. Frank blames those scary squirrels—10 of them! But Bert is so worried about his friend’s tussle with the squirrels that Frank feels guilty and decides to tell the truth—and is swiftly forgiven. Their next picnic looks like it might just resemble their last one, with Fox bearing muffins for Bert…but there’s a surprise ending for everyone! The language and pacing are just right, the tone understated, the conflict relatable. The squirrels are manic without being truly scary. Bert’s scribbly fur and Frank’s red hatch marks evoke character, and their accessories, all blue for Fox, all pink for Bert, further help differentiate them.
Another warm and relatable triumph. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9798887771328
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground.
A little red sleigh has big Christmas dreams.
Although the detailed, full-color art doesn’t anthropomorphize the protagonist (which readers will likely identify as a sled and not a sleigh), a close third-person text affords the object thoughts and feelings while assigning feminine pronouns. “She longed to become Santa’s big red sleigh,” reads an early line establishing the sleigh’s motivation to leave her Christmas-shop home for the North Pole. Other toys discourage her, but she perseveres despite creeping self-doubt. A train and truck help the sleigh along, and when she wishes she were big, fast, and powerful like them, they offer encouragement and counsel patience. When a storm descends after the sleigh strikes out on her own, an unnamed girl playing in the snow brings her to a group of children who all take turns riding the sleigh down a hill. When the girl brings her home, the sleigh is crestfallen she didn’t reach the North Pole. A convoluted happily-ever-after ending shows a note from Santa that thanks the sleigh for giving children joy and invites her to the North Pole next year. “At last she understood what she was meant to do. She would build her life up spreading joy, one child at a time.” Will she leave the girl’s house to be gifted to other children? Will she stay and somehow also reach ever more children? Readers will be left wondering. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 31.8% of actual size.)
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-72822-355-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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