Since the holidays are creeping in on us...Thanksgiving kicks it off into full-swing in our household...I thought I'd toss in another Christmas read. If you're visiting around this season, little gifts are always appreciated, especially with kids. This one might make a nice present. Maybe. Let's find out!
SANTA'S SIMON
by Terri Lilga
Illustrated by Chau Pham
Bookfox Press
Picture Book
39 pages
ages 4 to 8
All is well in the land of Glee, where elves like Santa's Simon are preparing for Christmas. But when Snow Dragon breaks all the toys and steals their Crystal Queen, will Simon be brave enough to save the Queen...and Christmas?
MY TIDBITS
The North Pole's jolly spirit meets fast-paced adventure in a swirl of toys and good will to all.
The elves are busy preparing the gifts for Christmas, and Simon is one of them, working hard all day. When a mess of broken toys is discovered, he's the nearest one and catches the blame. Luckily, Santa believes he's innocent and knows the true culprit, the Snow Dragon. But the problem goes beyond the broken presents. The dragon has kidnapped the Crystal Queen, and Simon is determined to get her back, but he's only a little elf and is up against more than he thought.
Starting with a more traditional scene of elves creating toys in Santa's workshop, this read soon twists into icy adventure with dragons, an evil villain, and more. It holds the excitement thanks to higher-stakes while staying very age appropriate. On top of this, it weaves in Christmas magic and helping-others goodness. It reminded me a bit of those older Christmas movies (for example, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) but with a dragon, fantasy twist. Considering it's in picture book format, it's sure to delight those readers, who enjoy a little more action since this isn't always found in Christmas reads for this level.
The entire thing is written in rhyme, which flows well enough. It's not my personal favorite, but the author did a good job. There around four to eight lines of text on each two-page spread. This works nicely as a read-aloud or for those readers, who are fairly sure of their words. The illustrations are bright and bold, and let each scene come across with the fitting emotions. These invite into the world and are enjoyable to flip through for listeners to flip through on their own and explore again and again.
Everything happens quickly once the adventure gets going, and while I first thought it rushed, it does so with the age group in mind and still manages to slide in everything well and with meaning. This one isn't only about adventure but weaves in valuable messages about helping others even if it means going the extra mile...and works in some more social aspects at the same time. It creates a lovely read to visit time and again, especially with the approaching holiday season.
And here she is...
Terri Lilga, a native of Western New York, resides in the Village of Hamburg with her husband Pete and their lively mini-golden doodle, Sushi. After a fulfilling thirty-year career as an elementary school teacher in the same school district she graduated from, she rekindled her early passion for writing children’s literature. Her first children’s book, Santa's Simon,was inspired by her desire to write a Christmas book with a unique twist, but mostly to highlight a message of faith, courage, and the transformational power of kindness. In addition to writing, Terri loves to travel and has visited Egypt, Botswana, Poland, Spain, and Cozumel where she had a bucket-list opportunity to swim with dolphins.
No comments:
Post a Comment