Kids will eat this up, no matter the season.
Will Jingles the cat’s yuletide mischief ruin Christmas for everyone?
In this lengthy picture book with a diminutive trim size, a family deals with their new kitten’s shenanigans at Christmastime. Before Jingles eats Christmas (as foretold by the title), he breaks it by destroying decorations, tearing wrapping paper off gifts, and then knocking over the tree. While this is upsetting (especially for little Rose), the family rallies and carries on with their day, and they’re excited to go get Grandma and bring her to their house for a special turkey dinner. But then, in the titular twist that will remind fans of the film A Christmas Story of the fate that befalls little Ralphie’s family’s holiday meal, Jingles sneaks to the kitchen while the family is out and gobbles up the turkey, leaving a huge mess. These feline hijinks are met with patience after Rose’s initial wail, but Jingles disappears in disgrace while everyone cleans up. Sharp-eyed readers will see that he’s stowed away in Grandma’s bag, but the family frets while he’s missing. A joyful reunion the next day affirms their unconditional love for their naughty kitten. Throughout, the tightly written, humorous text is enhanced by Docherty’s exuberant grayscale illustrations with Christmassy red embellishments. The family is an interracial one; Mom appears black, Dad and Grandma white, and the three children, Alex, Lily, and Rose, biracial.
Kids will eat this up, no matter the season. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7624-6475-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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