Alas, there is no holiday illumination here.
Which candle will have the place of honor on the menorah?
Nine anthropomorphic candles are at first overjoyed to welcome Hanukkah but then face a crisis. Who is to be the shamash, or helper candle, who glows the highest? As Waxy the wise candle tells the story of the holiday, the others, all primped and groomed, noisily push themselves forward. All except Little Flicker, that is, who has a big heart and a solid work ethic. Even Sparky and Sparkle, the Shabbat candles, put forth their fitness for the position. (One sports a pink bow in its wick and the other a blue bow tie.) Then Ms. Wicks, the Havdalah candle lit at the conclusion of Shabbat, presents her qualifications. Little Flicker softly reminds them that the number of candles lit increases nightly so “the light in the world should only grow brighter.” All the others now know that pious, modest Flicker should be selected. The Hanukkah candles are depicted in the cartoon illustrations in different colors and with variably expressive faces. What is certain to confuse observant readers is that a box of Hanukkah candles actually contains 44, because after they are lit the candles burn down completely each night. Problematically for readers who are shomer Shabbat, the text states that Shabbat candles are lit “exactly at sunset” when in fact care should be taken that they be lit several minutes earlier. The tale ends with a family scene of gluttony-filled latke and jelly-doughnut consumption.
Alas, there is no holiday illumination here. (authors’ note) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-998-8527-5-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kalaniot Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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