I rather enjoyed this book which is saying a lot, as I didn’t care for the original Pete the Cat books.  The song and story are catchy and kids are sure to love it and it’s illustrations.

#Wintergames #teamreadnosereindeer +26

 

 

This lovely story is of a boy who not only helps santa out, but learns to have faith in his reading abilities at the same time.  The illustrations are a bit old fashioned but they are lovely. 

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There are hundreds of stories on how Santa got his job.  This is by far the most unique.  We follow Santa from a young man starting with his first job through all the jobs he wasn’t so good at until he became the person he is known as today.  This was a lot of fun.  I might have to add it to my permanent collection

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Totally buying this to add to my permanent collection.  It is a bit like Nightmare before christmas as it’s dark and creepy but in a good way.  And it’s Claws not Claus.  The story has great rhymes and perfect cadence and the Gris Grimly illustrations are a perfect match.

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This book is really well down.  A POC little person is going to be FIERCE today.  And they are.  I loved how the illustrator interpreted the words of the writer.  “Climb the mountain of knowledge” is illustrated as going to the library.  There are other great word and image pairings in this book that make it a joy to read.

#Wintergames #teamreadnosereindeer +16

 

 

This sweet story is about a dragon who befriends a red headed girl named Luna.  They share a love of books and stories and start a bookshop on the back of the dragon.  It’s a lovely story.  Sometimes it rhymes, sometimes not, but for this story that doesn’t really matter. It works.  

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I love this style of illustration and find it’s not done very often. I was more knowledgeable to name the style, but it is soft and fuzzy like a warm blanket.  It explodes with emotion with the lightest touch of color.  This book is full of emotions.  It’s at once sad, but fully hopeful at the same time.  It was a wonderful story that younger kids may not fully grasp, but the adult gets it and loves it.

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The crew that brought readers the Gruffalo, Room on a Broom, and even Zog have a new creature to capture our hearts.  Stick man just wants to get home to his family tree, but it will be a long journey.  The cadence is spot on, the rhymes work. This silly story is sure to be a family holiday favorite.

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Okay, time to be honest, I don’t know what impresses me more, the story or the artwork.  Mia wants to send her dad a christmas card since they can’t be together.  She enters the post office and discovers a magical secret: the reindeer express that will get her card to daddy on time.  I am not normally a fan of paperback picture books,but this one was amazing.  The cover is cut out.  Most pages have doors or windows and the pictures are so beautiful that a reader almost misses the cutouts and doors.  A wonderful story, especially for those who have to be far away from family for christmas.

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It is so rare to see a fiction picture book that uses real photos as the artwork, but here it really works.  It screams scandinavia, winter, and christmas dreams.  It’s hopeful and happy, and the story, while a bit long, is a great adventure.  I’m kind of surprised that it hasn’t been turned into a movie or a holiday special.

#Wintergames #teamreadnosereindeer +26