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WE'RE GOING ON A SLEIGH RIDE

Name: WE'RE GOING ON A SLEIGH RIDE
Author: Martha Mumford
ISBN: 978-1-5476-1122-5

A LIFT-THE-FLAP ADVENTURE

From the Bunny Adventures series

by Martha Mumford ; illustrated by Cherie Zamazing ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 11, 2022

Charming visuals and manipulatives make this Christmas tale highly appealing to little readers.

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Rabbits ride along on Santa’s sleigh helping deliver gifts.

The rhyming lift-the-flap book shows a White-presenting Santa and friends flying past penguins and over polar bears, zipping over coastal towns, leaving presents as they go. Every other page invites readers to help find hidden gifts beneath camouflaged flaps—in a grandfather clock door, on a boat, and behind a shuttered window, for example. Though these gifts are spread throughout the book, the text beneath the flaps keeps a running count, ending with 10 presents beneath the tree. Though it doesn’t inhibit the flow of the book, this addition might be tough for little readers to follow and keep track of. Zamazing’s illustrations are darling. The bunny helpers are oh-so-sweet, each with an individually designed scarf and sweater. Each page is full of fun details, like a penguin pulling on the sleigh’s string of Christmas lights, the dwindling pile of gifts as the team flies on, and the squares on the quilts of the sleeping bunnies as Santa delivers presents to the little ones. Children will delight in finding and flipping the flaps, and each page invites readers to linger over and absorb the lovely artwork. The pages are extra thick, so while this title isn’t as sturdy as a board book, it should endure some rough handling.

Charming visuals and manipulatives make this Christmas tale highly appealing to little readers. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5476-1122-5

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S POETRY

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CHICKA CHICKA HO HO HO

From the Chicka Chicka Book series

by William Boniface ; illustrated by Julien Chung ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2024

A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.

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A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.

The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.

A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024

ISBN: 9781665954761

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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BEARS AND BOOS

From the Bears on Chairs series

by Shirley Parenteau ; illustrated by David Walker ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 14, 2020

Enjoyable holiday fare for the littlest trick-or-treaters.

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Does the box of Halloween costumes contain enough to clothe a passel of bears?

There’s a lot inside that carton: “hats, capes, and bats,” for example, and much more besides. And here come the four excited little bears, eager to comb through the contents to find the right trick-or-treat get-ups. At first, they find just what they want. Then, they simultaneously shout and pull at one another’s pickings as well, each desperately needing what another one has. The hubbub causes poor little Floppy to fall on her rear, so she tells Big Brown Bear she’ll wait until the others are done. Unfortunately, by the time everyone else has grabbed their stash, there’s nothing left in the box but a crumpled-up sash. Contrite, all the other bears willingly share their largesse with Floppy, turning her into the “holiday queen.” She leads the parade outdoors, all the bears dressed in their Halloween finest. This latest in Parenteau and Walker’s Bears on Chairs series is a sweet, brief rhyming tale for very young children that emphasizes kindness and sharing—a fine message for Halloween or any time. The lilting verses move smoothly and rhythmically and express a familiar scenario. The colorful, expressive illustrations are endearing; minimal text and lots of white space per page focus attention on the characters and goings-on.

Enjoyable holiday fare for the littlest trick-or-treaters. (Picture book. 3-5)