Anodyne but useful
The Sehgals’ newest picture book introduces young readers to Holi, a Hindu spring festival, through color, repetition, and onomatopoeia.
As the book opens, Chintoo and Mintoo—nicknames often given to young children in India or in Indian homes—are preparing for Holi, a holiday during which, among other things, celebrants douse each other with colored powder and water. The children collect flowers, such as hibiscus (“because hibiscus flowers make RED”) and irises (“because irises make BLUE”), and then crush the dried petals into powders to use to play with their parents, friends, and neighbors. “POOF!” the colors pop, and the revelers chant, “Holi, hai! Holi, hai!” (“It’s Holi! It’s Holi!”) Unlike the Sehgals’ text, which lacks rhythm and is quite dull, Harrison’s textured and cinematic illustrations are vivacious and dynamic, with renderings of humans that reflect her background in animation. Refreshingly, she represents children and adults with a wide variety of skin tones; India’s many browns are also on display here. This is the mother-and-son authorial team’s third collaboration (after A Bucket of Blessings, illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong, 2016, and The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk, illustrated by Jess Golden, 2014), and while it is sharper than the duo’s previous books, it still falls flat. The book includes an authors’ note that provides further historical and cultural context about Holi, which may provide some classroom relevance.
Anodyne but useful . (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2049-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
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
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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