Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
De Las Casas and Stone-Barker follow This Is the House That Witchy Built with another holiday title based on the cumulative nursery rhyme. Numerous sound effects encourage lively interactive reading: "This is the elf (hee, hee)/ That tried to catch the mouse (squeak, squeak)/ That lived in the house (creak, creak)/ That Santa built (clap, clap, clap, clap)." Thanks to Stone-Barker's cut-paper collages, the eponymous house-with its green plaid turrets, purple domes, and cherry-blossom roofing-is a marvel, but her generic looking characters don't fare as well, and a thudding conclusion ("The moral of the story is.../ Everyone is welcome in the house/ That Santa built! (Ho! Ho! Ho!)/ Merry Christmas!") doesn't help. Up to age 5. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-This merry take on the cumulative verses of "The House That Jack Built" features a mouse, an elf, a reindeer, a snowman, a boy, a girl, a baby, and, of course, Santa. Young readers can get in on the action thanks to the pairing of sound effects or movements such as "creak, creak," "squeak, squeak," "hee, hee," "stomp, stomp," "jingle, jingle," and "thumpety thump." The cut- and torn-paper collage illustrations are bright and humorous. Share this one at holiday storytimes and encourage the audience to join in on the fun.-Diane Olivo-Posner, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Based on "The House That Jack Built," this festive cumulative tale features children, a snowman, a reindeer, an elf, and more all running after "the mouse (squeak, squeak) / That lived in the house (creak, creak) / That Santa built (clap, clap, clap, clap)." Though rough-looking, the cheerful collage illustrations incorporate the many story elements; the noise-filled text is almost chaotically energetic. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
