A new classic that will ease children through any holiday season.
Soul food and larger-than-life personalities populate the pages of this catch-all family celebration.
Beginning and ending with “a sweet potato pie just for me,” this colorful picture book modeled after “The Twelve Days of Christmas” follows a young Black child as doorbells ring and the house fills with relatives. Counting up from the first dinging doorbell to the dizzying 12th, people arrive—“two selfie queens,” “three posh sibs”—and dishes pile up (“four pounds of chitlins” and the highlight, “BAKED MACARONI AND CHEEEEEESE!”). Toddlers and aunties and fraternity brothers crowd in. As the night wears on, the view of the house expands to include a long table of food, round tables for games of spades, and a dance floor. The narrator’s disappointment when the sweet potato pie is eaten turns the repeating verses on their heads; a change in language mirrors the shift in attitude familiar to anyone who’s had enough of family for one night. Brown cleverly turns an old tune into a modern, energetic romp. Glenn’s bright art makes inspired use of perspective and a broad palette to emphasize the joys and chaos of large family gatherings. Though the book is a funny riff on a familiar Christmas song, there aren’t any Yuletide-specific references, nor does it appear to be set during winter, making this delightful and dynamic story perfect for any time of year. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A new classic that will ease children through any holiday season. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-984815-17-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
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BOOK REVIEW
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property.
Since a reformed Grinch is hardly any fun, this follow-up Grinches him up once more.
Those seeking more of the same, prepare to receive precisely that. Christmas is coming (again!), and the Grinch can hardly wait. He’s been patient all year, and now he can finally show the Whos down in Who-ville how much he’s changed. When the Grinch learns of a tree-decorating contest, he figures that if he wins, it’ll prove he truly has the Christmas spirit. He throws himself into the task, but when it comes time to judge the trees, the Grinch is horrified to discover that he’s received only the second-place trophy. Can Cindy-Lou Who find the words to save the day? Replicating many of the original beats and wordplay of the original, this tale feels like less a sequel and more like a vaguely rewritten variation. Meanwhile, Ruiz’s art seeks to bridge the gap between the animated Chuck Jones version of the Grinch and the one depicted in the original book. This thankless task results in a strange uncanny valley between Seuss and Jones but does allow the artist a chance to colorize everything and lend some racial diversity to the Who population (Cindy-Lou is light-skinned). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780593563168
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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