Awash in the true Yuletide spirit.
An ice storm that dashes a young boy’s holiday plans also helps him find a connection to the first Christmas.
Pale-skinned Aiden’s been counting down on his Advent calendar—one more day till his grandparents arrive, two more until the church Nativity play (he’ll be playing the Star of Bethlehem), and three more until Christmas! But that night, it snows. The icy roads mean Grandma and Grandpa can’t travel. Worst of all, downed power lines mean no electricity or heat—and no play. But the family members fill their days with quiet merriment: reading stories, eating meals by candlelight. On Christmas Eve morning, Aiden and his father brave the icy urban sidewalks to buy coffee and doughnuts and spend the day delivering the treats to neighbors in their diverse community before the whole family heads to a spontaneous Christmas Eve potluck dinner. As the night winds down, Aiden’s mom retells the story of the Nativity, and Aiden finds special meaning in the tale: Were Joseph and Mary scared? Hungry? Cold? Did they appreciate the kindness of their newfound community? Filled with warmth and joy, Aiden hears the voice of angels: “Don’t be afraid. God is with you.” Alary caps her earnestly told narrative with an author’s note about her own stormy Christmas experience. Richly colored cartoon illustrations capture the silvery ice of the storm and bathe Aiden’s shadowy world with a tender glow.
Awash in the true Yuletide spirit. (activities) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9798889830153
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beaming Books
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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