Gross but that’s what they were going for.
Christmas is going to stink this year.
This tale from the creators of The Great Big Poop Party (2020) finds children requesting that Santa bring them not toys or treats but Christmas poo, and Santa doesn’t know what to do. Santa is not a fan of bathroom humor and takes a stance against the pro-poop majority at the North Pole, which includes Mrs. Claus, an abominable snowman, and the elves. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Santa has a limited view of Christmas enjoyment, while the others realize that the holiday can mean many things to different people: ‘I just don’t think Christmas is the time for poop,’ said Santa. ‘Christmas is a time for peace.’ The elves knew Christmas was a time for peace, but they wondered if it could also be a time for poop.” A chance encounter with a whoopee cushion during a strained discussion might be enough to break the tension and change Santa’s mind. The toilet humor comes fast and furious—so much so that it could make even an atheist say, “Hey, come on, some things are sacred!”—but for children (and caregivers) who can’t get enough poop jokes, this book will be a hit. The energetic mixed-media illustrations keep pace with the text, and a recipe for “Reindeer Dropping Treats” may add a new cookie to families’ holiday rotations of sweets. Santa and Mrs. Claus are light-skinned; the elves vary in skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Gross but that’s what they were going for. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-83710-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground.
A little red sleigh has big Christmas dreams.
Although the detailed, full-color art doesn’t anthropomorphize the protagonist (which readers will likely identify as a sled and not a sleigh), a close third-person text affords the object thoughts and feelings while assigning feminine pronouns. “She longed to become Santa’s big red sleigh,” reads an early line establishing the sleigh’s motivation to leave her Christmas-shop home for the North Pole. Other toys discourage her, but she perseveres despite creeping self-doubt. A train and truck help the sleigh along, and when she wishes she were big, fast, and powerful like them, they offer encouragement and counsel patience. When a storm descends after the sleigh strikes out on her own, an unnamed girl playing in the snow brings her to a group of children who all take turns riding the sleigh down a hill. When the girl brings her home, the sleigh is crestfallen she didn’t reach the North Pole. A convoluted happily-ever-after ending shows a note from Santa that thanks the sleigh for giving children joy and invites her to the North Pole next year. “At last she understood what she was meant to do. She would build her life up spreading joy, one child at a time.” Will she leave the girl’s house to be gifted to other children? Will she stay and somehow also reach ever more children? Readers will be left wondering. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 31.8% of actual size.)
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-72822-355-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
Cookie-cutter predictability.
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)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781728274270
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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