A sweet invitation to enjoy Navidad.
Ramón tries to get El Cucuy into the holiday spirit.
“¡Feliz Navidad, El Cucuy!” says Ramón. But the fanged, hairy monster would rather ignore Christmas. The lights twinkle too brightly, the muñeco de nieve (or snowman) seems pointless (and initially scary!), and El Cucuy is alarmed at the prospect of strangers showing up at the front door for Nochebuena, the final day of Las Posadas, a nine-night Christmas festival observed by many Latine communities. Can El Cucuy offer kindness to strangers? Perhaps—with Ramón at his side (and some horchata). Soon, it’s time to bash the piñata. Though El Cucuy hesitates, Ramón reminds the little monster that families celebrate together. “I am your family?” asks a happy El Cucuy. A hug, a regalo, and a little assurance bring a feliz Navidad into full swing. Scattering Spanish phrases throughout, Higuera leverages a fruitful push-and-pull dynamic between Ramón and El Cucuy to emphasize the communal spirit of the holidays and, of course, the yummy food that brings communities together. A tad overly gooey at times, El Cucuy’s latest foray into unfamiliar terrain nonetheless reassures readers who may find themselves in similar situations. Enticingly festive, Perdomo’s cheerful artwork moves from cold landscapes of snow to warmly lit indoor celebrations (eventually merging the contrasts), mirroring El Cucuy’s transformation from reluctant recluse to gleeful participant. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet invitation to enjoy Navidad. (author’s and illustrator’s notes) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9781419760136
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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