A fresh take on Santa’s reindeer and their imaginary lives at the North Pole.
Santa tucks each reindeer in bed for a night of restful sleep before their important journey around the world.
The rhyming story opens with a nighttime scene of the reindeer—the familiar, named ones from Dasher through Rudolph—engaged in a snowball fight when Santa and Mrs. Claus call them in. The anthropomorphized reindeer have their own bedrooms in their house at the North Pole, complete with beds, toys, and modern possessions such as an e-reader for Blitzen and a drum set and electric guitar for Cupid. Santa stops at each bedroom to say good night to each reindeer by name, with an added phrase describing that reindeer’s special talent or interest. Dancer wears ballet shoes, Comet’s room is decorated with models of planets, and Rudolph seems to be reading under the covers using his built-in light. Mr. and Mrs. Claus are white; one of their elves and a doll have brown skin. The rhyming text is catchy and humorous, although two of the rhyming word pairs are near misses (hooves/shoes and elves/bells). The story has echoes of Goodnight Moon in its bidding goodnight to items in bedrooms and in an illustration of a golden moon shining down on the waiting sleigh. Dark, atmospheric illustrations have a surrealistic vibe, mysterious and just short of scary.
A fresh take on Santa’s reindeer and their imaginary lives at the North Pole. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-58536-370-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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