A welcome reminder that there are myriad ways to celebrate the holidays we love.
A child and her father pick out the perfect Christmas tree.
Nisha wants a huge tree (“As tall as a camel! As wide as an elephant!”), but Baba wants a small one that he can easily carry up the stairs to their Brooklyn apartment. Still, the tree will need to hold the many decorations the family has inherited: red elephants and blue camels from India, Baba’s country of origin; icicles from Maine, where Mommy’s parents live. Nisha and Baba reach a compromise: They find a relatively small tree that fits Nisha’s requirements. Holding up two of her favorite ornaments, she confirms that the tree is indeed as wide as an elephant and as tall as a camel. Back at home, Baba, Mommy, and Nisha decorate the tree; Nisha’s thrilled that she’s tall enough to reach the upper branches this year. The tale ends with Nisha and her parents celebrating: Baba plays a Christmas carol on the sitar, while Mommy serves cookies and burfi. The story is lyrical, full of humor and heart. With her exaggerated facial expressions and posture, Nisha cuts an endearing figure in Pillai’s bustling art. In their authors’ note, Meyer and Mehta discuss the importance of blending cultural traditions (Baba is Hindu; white-presenting Mommy is Christian)—though this theme feels underexplored in the narrative. Still, it’s a delightful, festive tale overall.
A welcome reminder that there are myriad ways to celebrate the holidays we love. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9781506496467
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beaming Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
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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
A forgettable effort that fails to capture any of the magical charm of Santa’s story. (Picture book. 3-6)
Wallace and Elkerton continue their series about catching elusive mythical creatures (How to Catch a Leprechaun, 2016, etc.) with this Christmas story about an elf who must avoid traps constructed by children before Santa’s annual visit.
The unnamed elf narrator is the sole helper traveling with Santa on his delivery rounds on Christmas Eve, with each house featuring a different type of trap for elves. The spunky elf avoids a mechanical “elf snatcher,” hidden in a plate of cookies, as well as simple traps made of tinsel, double-sided tape, and a cardboard box concealing a mean-looking cat. Another trap looks like a bomb hidden in a box of candy, and a complicated trap in a maze has an evil cowboy clown with a branding iron, leading to the elf’s cry, “Hey, you zapped my tushy!” The bomb trap and the branding iron seem to push the envelope of child-made inventions. The final trap is located in a family grocery store that’s booby-trapped with a “Dinner Cannon” shooting out food, including a final pizza that the elf and Santa share. The singsong, rhyming text has a forced cheeriness, full of golly-jolly-holly Christmas spirit and too many exclamation marks, as well as rhyming word pairs that miss the mark. (No, little elf-boy, “smarter” and “harder” do not rhyme.) Bold, busy illustrations in a cartoon style have a cheeky appeal with a focus on the freckle-faced white elf with auburn curls and a costume with a retro vibe. (Santa is also white.)
A forgettable effort that fails to capture any of the magical charm of Santa’s story. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4631-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
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BOOK REVIEW
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