A fresh, interstellar Christmas adventure that’s sure to be a read-aloud staple for the season.
Santa finally visits Mars in an intergalactic twist on Clement C. Moore’s “A Visit From St. Nicholas.”
One young Martian is filled with excitement on Christmas Eve. Could this be the year that the red planet finally gets a visit from Santa? After going to bed, the little Martian is soon awakened by a clamor that could only be Santa himself. Disaster strikes when Santa’s sleigh begins to malfunction and crash-lands on the surface of Mars. The Martian must summon the Outer Space Rescue Division for help: “Come Hubble and Gamma! / Come Barlow and Oort! / Come Kelvin and Nova! / Come Quasar and Vort!” Using an array of tools and blueprints, technicians rush to the rescue, checking everything from the cockpit to the cocoa dispenser. After Santa and the technicians have put things right, a relieved Santa goes on his way—full of cookies and polar-ice juice—but not before filling the stockings of the snoozing Martians. Playful, bouncy rhyming couplets are modeled after the original poem, with familiar themes sprinkled throughout and plenty of gadgets and gizmos for aspiring engineers and outer-space lovers alike. Dynamic illustrations convey movement and excitement in muted tones, with tons of fun, extraterrestrial details to spot. Martians have fuzzy, round heads like cotton balls, with large eyes, fluffy tails, and colorful antennae. Santa is tan-skinned.
A fresh, interstellar Christmas adventure that’s sure to be a read-aloud staple for the season. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781250870308
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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
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
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