Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K--A fun twist on the traditional Christmas carol "Deck the Halls." Any attempt to merely read this delightfully silly board book will be futile. The sparse text, which surrounds a cast of animal friends throughout, floats right off the page, begging to be sung in the tune of carol. Whether the youngest listeners and readers are familiar with "Deck the Halls" or not, they won't be able to resist the pure joy and lightheartedness of cows, sheep, pigs, and others making rhymes from their natural sounds. Boynton uses similar artistic techniques and a playful palette that longtime readers know and love from her extensive body of work. VERDICT In the appropriate setting for a Christmas-themed title, the interactive engagement of this title will be undeniable.--Maegen Rose
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Review by Horn Book Review
The familiar farmyard gang celebrates Christmas Eve in Boynton's latest holiday-themed board book (Christmas Parade, rev. 11/20; Boo! Baa, La La La!, rev. 9/21). After "deck[ing] the halls with cows and holly," singing, trimming the tree, and making merry ("All the happy pigs go HA HA HA!"), it's time to settle down and go to bed. Chickens and other animal friends offer quiet sounds...until (classic Boynton) a rowdy bunch goes "a little wild." Excited little ones will love the implicit invitation. Kitty Flynn November/December 2022 p.12(c) Copyright 2022. 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
Deck the stalls? A bevy of barnyard animals, a cat, and some dogs get fully into the Christmas spirit by sprucing up the farm with colorful decorations, including holly berries and sparkling baubles. They have a great time and sing while going about their merry chores in a manner somewhat in keeping with the rhythm of the classic tune "Deck the Halls." (In fact, a flock of sheep are shown holding song sheets for it.) As might be expected with these particular celebrants, some of the familiar lyrics are altered just a bit; for instance, "boughs of holly" is "translated" as "cows and holly." Adult readers expecting the rhythm here to work exactly as it does in the original will be disappointed, because it doesn't--it's clunky. This is merely a brief, lightweight spoof of the familiar ditty, so it's recommended that grown-ups read rather than sing this--except for that final line!--to very young targeted audiences, who may be unfamiliar with the actual song anyway. Some fun is still to be had in the illustrations, however. The spirited, wittily expressive animal characters are depicted having a fine time romping about and producing a variety of onomatopoeic sounds throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Cute and sprightly but not a standout. (Board book. 1-3) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
