Review by New York Times Review
Its time for a fresh batch of holiday stories, sprinkled with tales of snow. GOOD MORNING, SNOWPLOW! By Deborah Bruss. Illustrated by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson. Don't be fooled by the title - the action takes place over the course of one night, when a rural town is covered in deep snow. That means no rest for the snowplow, whose driver jumps inside, his dog by his side, to get to work. Written in punchy, succinct rhymes, Bruss's text captures the primal appeal of both snow and snowplowing, while Fancher and Johnson's dazzling art makes the book feel special, a celebration of winter nighttime beauty and the people - and machines - who cheerfully rise to the occasion when the going gets snowy. 32 pp. Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $17.99. (Ages 3 to 5) LITTLE OWL'S SNOW Written and illustrated by Divya Srinivasan. This lovely third picture book featuring the tiny, giant-eyed Little Owl begins in late autumn and quickly plunges into winter, when many of Little Owl's friends are unavailable thanks to hibernation or migration, and life begins to seem a little dull. Even the thrill of the first snowfall wears off. But with help from Mama Owl's wise advice, Little Owl adjusts to the quiet and solitude and learns to appreciate the snow. Srinivasan paces her gentle story perfectly, and her simple digital art is appealing, with cute, watchful creatures and soft-edged shapes. 32 pp. Viking. $17.99. (Ages 3 to 5) A WHISPER IN THE SNOW By Kate Westerlund. Illustrated by Feridun Oral. Three rabbits and two mice (twins) hear a whisper under the snow. They dig and find a wet, sad stuffed bear, so they pack him in a little wagon and cart him to a friend's house. There they fix him up, get him dressed and enlist some bird friends to find the child who has lost him. Even the truly jaded may melt a bit over this charming, exquisitely illustrated Beatrix Potter-esque Christmas tale, which wears its holiday message and its life lessons (teamwork, compassion, critical thinking) as lightly as the season's first dusting of snow. 32 pp. minedition. $17.99. (Ages 3 to 8) TOUGH COOKIE: A CHRISTMAS STORY Written and illustrated by Edward Hemingway. What if the candy-studded cookie in the classic "Gingerbread Man" tale actually tasted terrible - because he was (spoiler alert) really a tree ornament, baked with glue and salt? That's the clever premise of this entertaining story about a sugar cookie and a fox who spits him out ("Blech! You taste awful.... plus, I think I just broke my tooth"). The book delivers a parable of selfacceptance, as well as recipes for sugar cookies - both the edible and ornamental varieties. 40 pp. Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) LITTLE FOX IN THE SNOW By Jonathan London. Illustrated by Daniel M ¡yares. Foxes and snow are a picture-book staple, but this one is different: It's both winter-cozy and a realistic hunting story. "Hunger draws you like a bow," the book's narrator says to the little fox. "You must hunt! " A white hare - "no match for a fleet-footed fox" - soon fills his belly. Miyares, whose watercolor art is as stunning as always, shows a bit of red staining the stream as the fox takes a cold drink of water after his meal. 40 pp. Candlewick. $16.99. (Ages 4 to 8) I GOT THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT By Connie Schofield-Morrison. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. This refreshing ode to the Christmas spirit does not (as so many do) lament the lack of it these days. Instead, an ebullient girl with pompom pigtails and a purple parka tells how she feels and shares it: caroling, eating hot candied nuts from a street vendor, donating coins, ice skating: "I twirled and swirled around the spirit." Morrison's felicitous art bursts off each page with a pop of energy. 32 pp. Bloomsbury. $16.99. (Ages 4 to 8) THE BROKEN ORNAMENT Written and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. Jack is a kid who sees Christmas as a bottomless goody bag. When he shatters an ornament that meant a lot to his mom, she's crushed, but Jack is clueless until a fairy grants him all his wishes for more, more, more. Then she shows him the moving story behind the ornament, and he changes his Christmas tune. The story can seem as jarringly jam-packed as Jack's Christmas list, but it drives home its message heartily, with a maximalist retro visual style. 48 pp. Simon & Schuster. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) ONE CHRISTMAS WISH By Katherine Rundell. Illustrated by Emily Sutton. Theo, whose busy parents are out on Christmas Eve, finds a box of old ornaments. He wishes on a shooting star to be "un-alone," and they come to life. Adventures, mishaps and true connections follow. Rundell's ("Into the Jungle," "Rooftoppers") lively, eloquent prose and Sutton's warm, delicate art make for an enchanting chapter-book read-aloud. 64 pp. Simon & Schuster. $18.99. (Ages 5 to 9) maria Russo is the children's books editor at the Book Review.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 30, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
In his desire to make this the best Christmas ever, Jack asks for a bigger tree with more room underneath for presents. But then he accidentally shatters a very special ornament, causing his mother to burst into tears. When Jack is alone with the shards, a tiny fairy named Tinsel appears in a swirl of shimmering frost. She magically tosses glitter for indoor snow and casts mistletoe so that trees sprout up through the floor. Her tinkly bells introduce a trio of strolling elves who parade inside along with a herd of reindeer, an army of nutcrackers, and a rowdy bunch of snowmen. Even though Jack's house is now the most Christmasy in the whole town, Tinsel can't repair the object he broke. However, when she shows him why it was special, Jack understands, and makes a unique new ornament for his mom. Illustrations in colored pencil and gouache create the crowded full-page scenes of the wild indoor hullabaloo, and show Jack's changing emotions as he learns about the true spirit of Christmas.--Lolly Gepson Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
There's no missing the timeless message of this tale by DiTerlizzi (The Spider and the Fly). On Christmas Eve, Jack's requests for additional decorations and a bigger tree ("Santa needs more room underneath to leave us more presents!") are scuttled by his parents, who look on in horror as Jack plucks a striped ball from an old box-an antique ornament that drops from its hook and shatters. After his parents sorrowfully retreat upstairs, an elfin fairy named Tinsel appears and grants, with over-the-top embellishment, Jack's wish for "the best Christmas ever!" Though nutcrackers, reindeer, and snowmen parade through the door, and snow-covered trees burst through the floor, Jack demands "More! More!" But he realizes that something's missing, and Tinsel shares a vision from the past: his mother's grandmother giving her the ornament he broke. The author delivers a sound, easily relatable lesson about the perils of greed-and the essence of Christmas-as Jack devises a way to make amends in the story's heartwarming finale. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Jack needs some magic to help make this year's Christmas the best ever.Shiny, red-foil borders and embossed lettering on the cover invite readers into a suburban household of the mid-20th century. On Christmas Eve, Jack is dissatisfied with the decorating job that he and his parents have done. He finds one last ornament, but his mother says in alarm, "Not that one!" Jack accidentally breaks it, leaving his mother in tears. A tiny fairy called Tinsel appears with tinkly bells to help Jack fulfill his wish. Saying, "let's deck these halls!" Tinsel tosses glitter, and a large tree bursts through the floor. Caroling elves burst through the door, followed by reindeer, nutcrackers, and snowmen. Double-page-spread illustrations show the house filled with holiday fun. (Children will wonder why Jack's parents don't seem to notice it, though.) Jack can't get enough of the magic, but remembering the broken ornament, he asks Tinsel for help. She can't give him a new ornament but does offer him a glimpse of his mother's past that helps Jack understand his mother's heartbreak and see a way to make amends. Slightly overlong landscape design, old-fashioned furnishings, and endpapers filled with ornaments give this a feeling of personal reminiscence. Jack, his parents, Tinsel, and two of the elves present white, but the third elf has brown skin.A delightful if somewhat disjointed story of "Christmas magic" working its charms on a family. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
