Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
On the heels of DiTerlizzi and Smith's recent Seeking a Witch comes this Christmas companion book, which reads like a job description for the role of Santa: "Do you grow your own mistletoe/ Trees, wreaths, and holly/ Must love snow/ And always be jolly." Smith uses eye-popping shades of vermillion, green, yellow, and sky blue to create zippy scenes of children joined by elves, reindeer, snowmen, a polar bear, a smiling gingerbread cookie, and penguins for caroling, snowball fights, tree decorating, and other holiday fun. It's a fresh, lyrical look at what being Santa is all about. Ages 1-4. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-A disjointed description of Santa's qualities, written as a job ad and accompanied by boldly outlined cartoons. "Do you grow your own mistletoe/Trees, wreaths, and holly/MUST LOVE SNOW/And always be jolly." Bright spreads won't engage young readers but sort of illustrate the laundry list. VERDICT Not fun and not worth buying.-Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library © Copyright 2016. 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 Kirkus Book Review
Rhyming text and playful art provide a list of all the qualities that make up "a Santa." "I'm seeking a Santa and everyone knows / Your eyes must be bright with red cheeks and red nose." So begins the recounting of Santa's aspects. Four elves (two white with blond and red hair respectively and two brown-skinned, with brown hair and freckles and black hair, respectively), cold-climate animals (including some evidently lost penguins), and other Christmas-y icons dramatize each of St. Nick's qualities. The bold images pop with a retro, 1950s-advertising sensibility in poster-paint reds and greens. The rhymes scan with a pleasing rhythm. When Santa is finally shown, it is a very traditional representation of the bespectacled, old white elf in signature suit and hat. The companion title, Seeking a Witch, follows the same formula with various monsters, ghouls, and Halloween critters reciting a green-skinned, purple-haired witch's attributes. While the reveals on the last double-page spreads are a little anticlimactic (they are both on the small side), these scenes make up for it in enthusiasm. While nothing new, there is enough to engage celebratory tykes. (Board book. 1-3) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
