For readers older than those of Howard's Chita's Christmas Tree (p. 990/C-166), another vivid account of the holiday as celebrated by a black family in comfortable circumstances years ago—in this case, in 1890 Ohio. Hamilton uses well-researched, lovingly re-created details and deceptively simple, totally unclichéd language to describe the Bells: Papa, who runs a successful carpentry business with his older sons; Mama, a fine seamstress; little Melissy; and 12-year-old narrator Jason, who can barely wait for Christmas and the coming of the other Bells—Uncle Levi and his family. Splendid homemade gifts (including a new mechanical leg, custommade by his brother, to replace Papa's peg leg), food, and the celebration at church are all portrayed in telling detail; but most significant is this family's memorable joy at being together, and their pride in their 100-year tradition in this place alongside the fascinating, historic National Road. Davis' carefully crafted paintings with their sculptural figures and well-furnished interiors reflect the story's strong sense of stability and security. Perhaps as a result, though, they are stolid rather than lively; and when the yearned-for snow finally comes, Davis' depiction of it is greeting-card conventional—unlike Hamilton's lovely description of "the great white night" when lights from the house shone in "patches of gold [that] made the lane sparkle." An excellent addition to the author's fine oeuvre; a good readaloud.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1989
ISBN: 0152015507
Page Count: 68
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1989
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
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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