September 1, 2020
Rhyming verse describes various Christmas symbols and events, grouped by color, as four children celebrate the season. The dominant color in Gamble's palette shifts accordingly from red through green, gold, blue, and white to brown before concluding pages shift from hues to "you." The children, two White kids who may be preschoolers or early-elementary children, one Asian child about the same age, and another Asian child who is a young toddler, decorate the tree, go to a Christmas fair, go ice-skating, and participate in a Nativity play, among other activities. The children's caregivers are largely absent, leaving readers to parse the children's relationships as they will: They could be siblings, two sets of cousins, or good friends. Other children of varied racial presentation appear in the background. Turner's verse makes some odd twists and turns, with forced rhymes and/or scansion in more than one or two spots. "Christmas is GOLD. / It's bright ribbon unrolled. / It's jingling bells / and warm, yummy smells. / It's heirlooms YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HOLD. / It's dancers all tapping among holiday trappings. / It's nutcracker crowns / and Christmas Eve gowns. / It's glittery gift wrapping." Like the verse, the illustrations are also sometimes awkward, the children sometimes seeming as if they are pasted onto a space rather than painted into it. A little mouse in a snowsuit appears in many spreads. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.5-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 92.3% of actual size.) Like so many books commemorating the season, sweet but unremarkable. (Picture book. 4-8)
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September 21, 2020
Turner presents a vivid holiday palette by listing various colors featured at Christmastime and spotlighting favorite traditions and images associated with each hue. “Christmas is RED./ It’s a shiny new sled,” “Christmas is GREEN./ It’s an evergreen scene,” and “Christmas is GOLD./ It’s bright ribbon unrolled.” An inclusively portrayed, cozily clad crew of cheerful children bustle through bucolic scenes, decorating a house, ice skating, attending a holiday festival, performing in a Nativity play, giving gifts, and more. Finally, Turner reminds readers that, whatever one’s “own unique hue,” “Christmas is YOU!/... It’s your heartfelt compassion/ and your hope put in action./ It’s your thrill for the little things.” Though some references (“It’s an Elvis song,” “It’s God within/ a baby’s skin”) seem aimed at parents rather than readers within the stated age range, lilting text teamed with Gamble’s folk art–style paintings will keep younger readers engaged. Ages 3–7.