The idea of giving to others as the best way to celebrate Christmas is certainly not new, but the treatment here is fresh...
In the third story in the Me and My Dragon series, the red dragon and the boy who owns him find a new way to celebrate Christmas.
The unnamed, dark-skinned boy with straight, black hair and Dragon work together to earn money to buy Christmas gifts for their family members. They take all sorts of freelance jobs, mostly ones that come with gag opportunities, such as selling toasted marshmallows, cleverly roasted with Dragon’s fiery breath, on a stick. After babysitting for free for a single mom with seven kids, the boy and his pet see that the family can’t afford to heat their house. The boy donates his funds to an agency that provides fuel to needy families, and with his earnings, Dragon buys some of the latest toys for the children of the family. Instead of giving store-bought presents to one another, the boy and Dragon make simple gifts at home for their family, and both find their Christmas of helping others the “Best Christmas ever!” Bold, digital illustrations have an animation aesthetic and use a pleasing variety of perspectives and page formats, and the dragon with its bulging yellow eyes is quite a scene stealer.
The idea of giving to others as the best way to celebrate Christmas is certainly not new, but the treatment here is fresh enough thanks to the help of the charming red dragon. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-58089-622-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015
Cookie-cutter predictability.
After all the daring escapes in the How To Catch… series, will the kids be able to catch Santa?
Oddly, previous installments saw the children trying (and failing) to catch an elf and a reindeer, but both are easily captured in this story. Santa, however, is slippery. Tempted but not fooled by poinsettias, a good book (attached to a slingshot armed with a teddy bear projectile), and, of course, milk and cookies, Santa foils every plan. The hero in a red suit has a job to do. Presents must be placed, and lists must be checked. He has no time for traps and foolery (except if you’re the elf, who falls for every one of them). Luckily, Santa helps the little rascal escape each time. Little is new here—the kids resort to similar snares found in previous works: netting, lures, and technological wonders such as the Santa Catcher 5000. Although the rhythm falters quite a bit (“How did we get out you ask? / It looked like we were done for. / Santa’s magic is very real, / and I cannot reveal more”), fans of the series may not mind. Santa and Christmas just might be enough to overcome the flaws. Santa and the elf are light-skinned, one of the children is brown-skinned, and the other presents as Asian. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Cookie-cutter predictability. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781728274270
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
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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