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MURRAY CHRISTMAS

Name: MURRAY CHRISTMAS
Author: E.G. Keller
ISBN: 978-1-4197-5392-3

by E.G. Keller ; illustrated by E.G. Keller ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 27, 2022

A delightful Christmas tale that shows a dog’s perspective on the holiday and all its trappings.

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A dog living in a big city takes his job very seriously.

Murray isn’t going to let anything happen to his humans, saving them from random birds, blowing laundry, and anything else that might endanger them; after all, his collar states his job: “patrol dog.” But he’s mightily confused when his humans plant a tree in the house, and who is this bearded guy in a red suit he is seeing everywhere? And what’s with all the new threats in the house? From “flashy snake[s]” (Christmas lights) to “smelly sticks” (candles), Murray has his paws full (as do his family members). When Christmas Eve arrives, readers will be able to guess what will happen. The showdown fortunately ends happily for both “intruder” and dog, who is gifted a new tag for his collar. Funny details in the digital illustrations will keep readers in stitches. Murray predictably “waters” the Christmas tree, and his pink pig stuffie is usually never far away. Murray’s family includes one parent who has red hair and pale skin; the other presents as Black with short dark hair. Their adorable tyke has brown skin, often sports a dress and tights, and is missing a tooth. Murray is short with black-and-white fur and a big nose. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A delightful Christmas tale that shows a dog’s perspective on the holiday and all its trappings. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-4197-5392-3

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
WAITING IN THE WINGS
by Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton ; illustrated by E.G. Keller

- BOOK REVIEW
WHEN YOUR DADDY'S A SOLDIER
by Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan ; illustrated by E.G. Keller

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TWISTY-TURNY HOUSE
by Lisa Mantchev ; illustrated by E.G. Keller

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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HOW TO CATCH SANTA CLAUS

From the How To Catch… series

by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2023

Cookie-cutter predictability.

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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)