One precious moment after the other.
Precious Moments characters share the familial love of Christmas.
Tiny tots shout gleefully from their beds: “Wake up! Wake up! / It’s Christmas day! // Santa’s been here, / and it’s time to play.” They scurry downstairs to exchange presents with their family. But then it starts to snow. The neighborhood kids rush out to sled, make snow angels, and build snowmen. Adding to this endless string of idyllic moments, it’s time to bake dessert together, and then gather round the table for a bountiful meal. After bundling up and heading outside for joyful caroling, one youngster questions the nature of gifts. The adult explains: “Santa gives gifts, / and your family does too, // because of the gift from above / that’s been given to you.” Confusingly, the next page turn reveals Santa flying through the sky, which may link “the gift from above” to him in some readers’ minds, though a baby in a manger is visible on the page of a book an adult reads with the children. Complete with distinct Precious Moments teardrop-shaped eyes (even the snowman) and endless cheer, affection, and comfort, this package exudes warmth. There are no holiday missteps in this family. Almost everyone is pale-skinned—similar to the original porcelain figurines—but a few peripheral characters have darker tones. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
One precious moment after the other. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781728265155
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2023
Lighthearted and un-scary enough for bedtime.
Talk show host Fallon and illustrator Deas follow up 5 More Sleeps ’Til Christmas (2020) with a story of a youngster preparing for Halloween.
“It’s FIVE more sleeps ’til Halloween, / that spooky time of year / where all the ghosts are wide awake / as nighttime’s drawing near.” A calendar page with a large numeral 5 curls before a bright orange pumpkin. An orange-haired, light-skinned moppet wearing an enormous pair of blue glasses is hunkered down in bed with Gary the dog, whose vibrant blue coloring matches the bedspread. Occasionally accompanied by a sibling, the young narrator counts down day by day, describing seasonal activities: picking out a costume, navigating a corn maze, watching scary movies, taking part in a parade, going on a hayride, and trick-or-treating. The rhyming verses are sometimes a bit rocky but always fun. The text is periodically punctuated by the word boo, which appears in large, cartoonlike lettering; that, along with the calendar countdown motif, adds a pleasant repetition. Though the child confides feelings of trepidation (“What if bats fly in my room? / I think I’ll close my window now”), descriptions of scary moments are always offset by brightly colored, exuberant artwork. Humor abounds: Gary looks both hilarious and sweet dressed in a ghost costume that matches the narrator’s. The final page neatly closes the circle as the child goes from anticipating the holiday to participating in it and back again.
Lighthearted and un-scary enough for bedtime. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781250857798
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sweet and silly—good enough for Halloween
The barnyard animals love Halloween. Farmer Brown does not. Sounds like the perfect time for tricks and treats!
Since Farmer Brown wants nothing to do with the scary holiday, “he leaves a bowl of candy on the porch….draws the shades and locks the door.” Out in the barn, though, the party is just getting started. Saturated watercolors show Cow dressed as a skeleton, the chickens looking quite ghostly and the sheep donning witch hats. As field mice and cats arrive, creepy sounds begin. The “crunch, crunch, crunching” and the “creak, creak, creaking” lead to a “tap, tap, tapping.” Hearing them, Farmer Brown peeks out his window to investigate. Readers will chuckle and easily recognize “the dark creature standing beneath the trees.” The farmer, however, runs to his bedroom to pull the covers up over his head. Now the sounds repeat, as the figure comes closer. This time, though, the tapping is followed by a “quack, quack, quackle.” Wait—“Quackle??” Farmer Brown goes out to the porch to find the candy bowl gone and a note on the door announcing, “Halloween Party at the barn!” The chorus of onomatopoeic phrases throughout the briskly paced text guarantees an interactive read-aloud, though fans of Duck’s earlier outings will miss their satiric bite.
Sweet and silly—good enough for Halloween . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-6553-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
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