A delightful introduction to a popular Christmas treat and traditions around the world.
Cookies are set out for Santa on Christmas Eve in many countries around the world, described in this collection that includes recipes.
A striking cover illustration shows five children of different ethnicities with Christmas cookies arrayed in front of them and Santa and his reindeer taking flight just below the title. The digitally composed illustrations are the sweet treat in this book, from a snow-speckled Santa facing the title page to the final spread with children in Hawaii setting out pineapple-macadamia bars for Santa under their tree decorated with shells. Vibrant, glowing illustrations show children of different ethnic groups along with cultural traditions and decorations. The Christmas-cookie traditions of 32 countries (or sometimes a city or a state) are each described in a short paragraph, including the type of cookie, local name for Santa, and fun, related Christmas customs that will interest children. For example, the double-page spread about Mexico includes children with a piñata and cut-paper decorations in the illustration. Thoughtfully designed front endpapers offer a map with all the locations marked as a continuous journey for Santa; the back endpapers repeat this map with the addition of illustrations of the cookies, coded to the locations by number. Recipes for nine different cookies are included, and an author’s note gives further information about Christmas celebrations and Santa traditions.
A delightful introduction to a popular Christmas treat and traditions around the world. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-544-22620-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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
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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
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