🎄REVIEW: "The Book of Kringle - Legend of the North Pole" by Derek Velez Partridge (Picture Book)

THE BOOK OF KRINGLE - LEGEND OF THE NORTH POLE by Derek Velez Partridge

Publisher: Vista Clara Productions Genre: Childrens Fiction, Picture Book Publication Date: August 11th 2015

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Description from Publisher:

In a magical land on top of the world, an epic struggle between light and darkness was waged between two brothers. King Kringle ruled with a harsh hard over the elves of the North Pole, allowing no laughter, no play, and no Christmas celebration There was only one, truly kindhearted soul who could make a difference and change the course of the world. Would the elves be able to find Santa and bring joy and laughter to the land? Manusol the Elf knows the answer, for it is written in The Book of Kringle!

My Rating:

My Musings:

This is a wonderful story for Christmastime and I can't wait to add it to my son's 24 Books of Christmas collection that we use as an advent calendar every year. :) The Book of Kringle is a longer story than your typical picture book, but reads exactly as you would think a story with the sub-title of "The Legend of the North Pole." It has a little of a "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" vibe and reminded me of the claymation Rankin/Bass movies that I have loved since childhood. First, we meet an elf who begins to tell us the history of the North Pole and how it wasn't always the happy place it has become. He explains the story of the King of the North Pole, Kris Kringle's brother, who was greedy and selfish and put the elves to work mining crystals. From there, we learn how Santa Claus surprised the elves with tokens, and how the elves celebrated Christmas. I'll let you read the book to see how it all turns out. ;) The illustrations on this are beautifully done and have a old-fashioned style to them that lends itself really well to the story.

My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own.

🎄REVIEW: "A Pirate's Twelve Days of Christmas" by Philip Yates & Sebastia Serra (Picture Book)

A PIRATE'S TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Philip Yates Illustrated by Sebastia Serra

Publisher: Sterling Children's Books Genre: Childrens Fiction, Picture Book Publication Date: October 2nd 2012

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Other Books by Philip Yates or Sebastia Serra

Description from Publisher:

On the first day of Christmas, a gift was sent to me . . . a parrot in a palm tree! Ahoy mateys--Christmas is coming and even pirates celebrate the holiday! This follow-up to the hugely popular A Pirate's Night Before Christmas offers a witty re-imagining of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”—with a sly buccaneer twist. A brave cabin boy receives marvelously mysterious gifts for each of the 12 days he is left alone to guard the pirate ship: 12 cannons blastin', 9 mermaids singin', 6 Jolly Rogers, and so on—but who are they from? With impeccable rhythm and a lively sense of fun, Philip Yates and Sebastià Serra create a delightful world all their own.

My Rating:

My Musings:

Every year, I do a Christmas book advent, wrapping holiday books from last year again, as well as some new non-holiday books and some new holiday treasures. Last year, I discovered A Pirate's Night Before Christmas and, enjoying that (check out my review), I bought this one by the same authors. This has a little story and is then the song we all know and love to sing along with, but pirate-y. You will not be able to stop yourself from singing along to this one, which makes it really fun to read. By halfway through this, my son was singing out "5 chests of GOLD!" and "a parrot in a palm tree," while dancing in place. By the second reading the next night, he was singing the last 5 gifts each time. The illustrations in this are colorful, whimsical, and just perfect for the text. If your kiddo (or you) enjoy Christmas, singing, and pirates, this is a fantastic addition to your library of Christmas books, which is also nice because the focus isn't the bearded man in red. :)

My Source: I bought this one after buying and loving The Pirate's Night Before Christmas. My opinion is my 100% own.