Tacky's Christmas

Tacky's Christmas by Helen Lester
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Tacky the Penguin and his friends are back in this tale of Christmas preparations and mistaken identity. It's a lucky thing Tacky gave his friends shaving cream and happened to be squirting it onto their faces as the Hunters (a bear and two wolves) approach. Soon both penguins and hunters are having a Christmas party together, no longer predators and prey, since the Hunters think the penguins are "Sandy Clawz" and elves.

The story is cute and has some funny lines. I am bothered by the illiterate dialogue the hunters speak, however. It dropped my rating from 4 to 2 stars. The uneducated speech and clothing* seems like it's supposed to suggest the animals are Southerners, likely from remote, rural areas--some sort of "hayseed" or "hillbilly" persona. My husband is a Southerner, and these stereotypes are offensive and hurtful.

So this was a 4-star book for me, right up until the end. Darnit!

Our copy was part of a Christmas book bundle from Scholastic, and it didn't come with a CD at the end, so I have no opinion on that part.

(*Yes, I also realize that I'm talking about a book where penguins talk, wrap presents, wear hats & scarves, & decorate for Christmas, so it's not like ANY of it is the least bit realistic.)

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'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cute story based on the rhyme/pattern of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” The kids were drawn with different skin & hair colors; however, the adults were both white. The story requires a fair amount of willing suspension of disbelief, but that makes it silly & fun, so OK. The ending does rather seem like it’s trying to influence kids toward vegetarianism, which I have mixed feelings about, but overall it’s a funny book I think my kids will enjoy.

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Interview with a Dead Editor

Interview with a Dead Editor by Shanna Swendson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lexie has just been laid off from her job as a newspaper reporter when she gets a call asking her to interview for an assistant editor position at a small newspaper in a town she's never heard of. Unfortunately, when she arrives for her interview, she discovers the body of her prospective employer on the floor behind his desk. With a storm on the horizon, Lexie is anxious to get back on the road to Dallas, but first the local police must verify her alibi, which becomes far more difficult when her car's electrical system is inexplicably fried. Luckily, the job she was to interview for comes with a furnished apartment, so she's allowed to stay there until she can be cleared. With nothing better to do, she begins exploring the town, asking questions as she goes.

This book is set in February, but it feels like late fall. The town is straight out of a Hallmark movie--which is intentional and to which Ms. Swendson alludes in the opening scenes--making the book feel like a warm hug, despite the freezing weather and paranormal oddities. I love that all the female characters are strong and independent. No foolishness here! Lexie makes some smart moves to help save herself when the killer threatens her at the end. Plus the police officer is competent and intelligent. This makes the hint of future romance a lot more plausible.

The main characters are white, and supporting characters include an army vet who lost her lower legs in combat, a couple of ghosts, and a mixture of Latinx, African American, and white townsfolk, many of whom are descended from members of a traveling sideshow.

For readers' advisors: story and character doorways are pretty strong, and setting is also a factor for anyone who loves Hallmark movies. Or hates, I suppose. Minimal on-screen violence that mostly involves the killer briefly attacking Lexie. No sex or swearing. Some sub-plots & mini-mysteries are set up and left to be resolved in future installments of the series. Book #2 comes out in a few weeks, so readers won't have to wait long for the next chapter in Lexie's life.

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Secret of the Water Dragon

Secret of the Water Dragon by Tracey West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four stars for kids, more like 3 stars for adults. My daughter loves these books, and they are very fast-paced and exciting. I have a hard time not commenting on some logical fallacies & oversimplifications, not to mention the absurdity of 8-year-olds being dragon "masters" or being sent to a far-away kingdom to battle an evil wizard's spell and rescue one boy's family with zero adult supervision. BUT...as I said, this book was very fast-paced and exciting and kept my almost-7-year-old riveted and really mad when I only read 3 or 4 chapters at bedtime. So I will go with a 4-star rating for the enthusiasm it engendered in my daughter and for the attempt to have a couple of non-white main characters, although the series clearly isn't OwnVoices.

In this volume of the series, dragon master Bo gets a threatening note telling him his family has been imprisoned by the Emperor of his kingdom and to save them Bo has to steal the Dragon Stone. The evil wizard Maldred has put a spell on the Emperor, which Bo's water dragon, Shu, must undo. Bo and the Emperor are depicted as Asian, although it's not precisely our world, so the empire in question is vaguely Chinese or Japanese or some amalgamation thereof.

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How Do You Say I Love You?

How Do You Say I Love You? by Hannah Eliot
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I love the idea of this book, with its message that children and parents all over the world love each other, just in different languages. I love that each “I love you” is written out in the original language itself, in the transliteration into English, and phonetically/with a pronunciation guide. It’s very sweet, with its depiction of regular children doing regular things.

What I don’t love is that it skews toward European countries, and that the illustrator, whose last name doesn’t sound Caucasian, somehow manages to make most of the children & parents look like White Americans. Perhaps it’s the dots for eyes or the narrow range of skin tones or the generic clothes and facial features?? I would have preferred MUCH more variety, and no pale-skinned redheads or blondes playing soccer in Egypt, for example. When I was in Egypt, most kids had brown hair & skin, & those who didn’t were typically tourists. Even the few Caucasian locals had more of a tan. I guess maybe the illustrator was trying to show the universal appeal of soccer? But white faces shouldn’t outnumber brown ones, so that made me cringe. In a book celebrating diversity, whiteness should not be the default.

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Amelia Bedelia Unleashed

Amelia Bedelia Unleashed by Herman Parish
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amelia Bedelia is back and anxious to adopt a dog, but she has no idea what kind she wants. Her attempts to figure out the answer to that question are full of hilarious mishaps, but in the end, she finds exactly the right kind of dog for her.

This second installment in the Amelia Bedelia chapter book series was just as entertaining as the first. My 6-year-old loved having me read it to her at bedtime. It's fun and silly and engaging.

My biggest quibble is that all the characters are white/presumed white. Seriously, would it have killed the illustrator to have drawn some of the characters with darker skin? There are so many illustrations, I'd almost characterize the book as an illustrated novel, yet not a one looked anything but white. That's what is keeping my rating at 3 stars instead of 4.

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Listening With My Heart: A Story of Kindness and Self-Compassion

Listening With My Heart: A Story of Kindness and Self-Compassion by Gabi Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Esperanza finds a heart-shaped rock and is inspired to share love and kindness, which comes full circle when she makes a mistake and needs help remembering to show herself kindness and compassion as well.

It's a sweet story with a direct message that models simple ways even children can demonstrate compassion. A bit more plot or character development would have bumped my rating to 5 stars, but the message earns every bit of the 4 stars! I absolutely love that nearly all the characters have varying shades of brown skin. It's a very positive, healing book to read with children.

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