Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5^-7. Christmas is a week off, and Little Robin has a warm vest for each day; but as he meets a succession of shivering animals, he gives them away one by one, until he himself is left to shiver on a snowy rooftop. There Santa finds him, and after a long journey, Little Robin gets a new vest, knitted with a thread from Santa's coat and "red as a reindeer's nose." He also gets a new name: Little Robin Redbreast. Fearnley depicts Little Robin as a small, round, apple-cheeked bird, bustling about his cozy flat, sympathetically patting Squirrel, Mouse, Hedgehog, and the others, and perching on a branch in the last scene to show off his red pullover and wish a Merry Christmas to all. Not only does this work perfectly as a pourquoi tale, though not overtly written or illustrated as such, but Little Robin's unhesitating generosity will also kindle a response in young readers at any time of year. --John Peters
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Little Robin red... vest? So it goes in this mash-up of origin story and selfless holiday tale. Little Robin, a brown bird with a natty wardrobe of seven knitted sweater vests, plans to count down the week before Christmas by sporting a different festive garment each day. But every time he bundles up and heads out into the snow, he meets a different shivering friend--many larger and fluffier than Little Robin--who seems to need a warm vest more than he does. By Christmas Eve, Little Robin is a freezing, vestless ball of fluff on a nearby rooftop, when Santa rescues him and brings him to the North Pole for some TLC--and a special gift to reward his kindness: a "very, very special" red vest that will keep him warm "forever." Though the bird's generosity to the point of hypothermia may concern readers, Fearnley's pairing of frosty winterscape and cheerful hero make for a well-meaning story. Ages 2--5. (Sept.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K--A week before Christmas, Little Robin gathers his seven different-colored vests to wear during the cold winter. Dressed in his white one, he goes skating on the pond and meets Frog. Frog is so cold that Little Robin gives him the vest. On the sixth day before Christmas, the bird meets a freezing hedgehog and offers his green vest. On each of the remaining days before Christmas, Little Robin gives one of his vests in succession to Mole, Squirrel, Rabbit, Otter, and Mouse. Each time, he reasons that he still has other vests. But with his last gift, he has none left, and, still "a long way from home and very cold," he sits huddled on a roof and falls asleep. This being Christmas Eve, Santa lands on the roof, tucks the little bird "into [his] soft white beard," and flies him home to Mrs. Claus, who knits him a little red vest. The large digitally created illustrations present the animal characters against snowy landscapes, their facial expressions and body language alternating between distress at the numbing cold and exuberant gratitude for the warmth provided by Little Robin's gifts. Little Robin's struggles to fit his small vests onto the larger animals and Rabbit's decision to wear his on his ears provide some humor. VERDICT The message of selfless giving to those in need makes this a good choice for discussions of the meaning of giving during the holiday season. It can also serve as an origin story regarding the robin's distinctive and much-loved red breast.--Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
On the frigid days leading up to Christmas, Robin gives away every one of his cozy vests. Santa rewards this self-sacrificing behavior with a special red vest that will keep Robin forever warm. Rosy-cheeked watercolors uphold the shirt-off-your-back morality of the tale, which overwhelms the underplayed yet more enticing explanation of how Robin got his red breast. From HORN BOOK Spring 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. 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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A pourquoi tale for Christmastime.Fearnley's story stops just short of explicitly stating that its aim is to explain how the robin got its red breast, but readers are invited to draw this conclusion. On the cover, a white and brown bird is clad in a red knitted vest and glides across the ice. The half-title page shows the same bird flying, but then on the title page the bird is vest-free, its feathered, white breast showing. The first spread in the book proper shows Little Robin admiring his reflection in a mirror while wearing a knitted white vest decorated with a holly pattern. Six vests of other colors appear on hangers around his tree-hollow home, but none is the red one from the frontmatter. Subsequent spreads show the bighearted Little Robin wearing and then giving away each of these vests when he encounters others animal out in the cold. White, green, pink, yellow, blue, purple, and orange vests are gifted to a frog, hedgehog, mole, squirrel, rabbit (who cleverly wears the vest as a hat in the illustrations, its ears poking through the arm holes), mother and baby otter, and mouse, respectively, until poor Little Robin is left shivering in the cold, vest-less. So who saves the day and provides Little Robin with a red vest for his breast? Santa, of course (here depicted as a white human).A cozy Christmas re(a)d. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
