Holiday Picture Book Reviews: Sharing the Bread, Santa's Sleigh Is On Its Way To My House, The Night The Lights Went Out On Christmas

With Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching, I have three books to share that are perfect for this holiday season...

Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story

by Pat Zietlow Miller

Sept. 22, 2015

Random House Kids

Celebrate food and family with this heartwarming Thanksgiving picture book. We will share the risen bread. / Our made-with-love Thanksgiving spread. / Grateful to be warm and fed. / We will share the bread. In this spirited ode to the holiday, set at the turn of the twentieth century, a large family works together to make their special meal. Mama prepares the turkey, Daddy tends the fire, Sister kneads, and Brother bastes. Everyone—from Grandma and Grandpa to the littlest baby—has a special job to do. Told in spare, rhythmic verse and lively illustrations,Sharing the Bread is a perfect read-aloud to celebrate the Thanksgiving tradition.

PRAISE

"A warm and wonderful holiday treasure." —Publishers Weekly, Starred

"Captures the spirit of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner." —School Library Journal

"A delightful holiday book that shows the heartwarming tradition of food and family." —Booklist

*************************************

Sharing The Bread transports readers back to the 19th century and follows one family as they prepare a magnificent and yummy Thanksgiving meal!

Told through sparse, lyrical rhymes, Sharing The Bread is a heartwarming and charming picture book. The simple, yet descriptive, rhymes are sweet and amusing in their sing-song flow. Little readers will easily be able to memorize their favorite lines and “read along”. From putting the turkey into the oven to making all the fixings and setting a gorgeous table, Sharing The Bread explores it all, and it does so with a lot of heart!

The bright, captivating illustrations wonderfully capture the story and will engage little eyes, as young readers have fun pointing out all the clever details.

Sharing The Bread is a beautiful and entertaining story that does a wonderful job of capturing the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

MY RATING

Pat Zietlow Miller knew she wanted to be a writer ever since her seventh-grade English teacher read her paper about square-dancing skirts out loud in class and said: “This is the first time anything a student has written has given me chills.” (Thanks, Mrs. Mueller! You rock!)

Pat started out as a newspaper reporter and wrote about everything from dartball and deer-hunting to diets and decoupage. Then, she joined an insurance company and edited its newsletter and magazine.

Now, she writes insurance information by day and children’s books by night. Her first picture book, SOPHIE’S SQUASH, is illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf and published by Schwartz & Wade. Her second picture book, WHEREVER YOU GO, is illustrated by Eliza Wheeler and will be released April 21, 2015 by Little, Brown. SHARING THE BREAD, illustrated by Jill McElmurry, will come out from Schwartz & Wade in August 2015. THE QUICKEST KID IN CLARKSVILLE, a fiction picture book inspired by Olympic sprinter Wilma Rudolph, is under contract with Chronicle.

Pat has one wonderful husband, two delightful daughters and two pampered cats. She doesn’t watch much TV, but she does love “Glee” and "Chopped." Pat lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Santa's Sleigh Is On Its Way To My House: A Christmas Adventure

by Eric James

Oct. 1, 2015

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

It's a magical Christmas Eve, and all of the children in your town are sleeping. Well, all of the children but you! How could you possibly fall sleep when you know Santa and his sleigh are on their way?

Eric James follows up his spooktacular A Halloween Scare, with the immensely adorable and enthralling Santa's Sleigh Is On Its Way To My House!

Through pitch-perfect and utterly charming rhyming text, Eric James wonderfully captures the excitement and anticipation of Christmas Eve. Little readers will easily relate to the "just can't wait" feelings the young characters in the book experience and will love the thrilling and humorous adventures of Santa as he makes his way to your little one's house. The way the narrator directly addresses readers, and places them within the story, creates such a fun, engaging story! The gorgeously rendered illustrations are soft, yet eye-catching and full of whimsical details. 

And like Eric James' A Halloween Scare, this Christmas picture book is a location based book with over 100 different versions, taking place in different states/countries and featuring location based text and pictures, available.

MY RATING

Eric James is a children's book author, word tickler, and champion asparagus thrower. You can find him online at www.ericjames.co.uk. He lives in Bath, England, with his family.

The Night the Lights Went Out On Christmas

by Ellis Paul

Oct 1, 2015

Albert Whitman & Company

Based on acclaimed singer-songwriter Ellis Paul's Christmas song, this hilarious tale focuses on an inevitable part of the holiday season--lights! Year after year, the neighbors on one suburban street try to outdo one another with their holiday decorations, until one night their efforts take out the world's power grid. Once the neighborhood is dark, though, they're finally able to clearly see the stars above--a simple, perfect Christmas show. 

The Night The Lights Went Out On Christmas takes Ellis Paul's famous song and turns it into an endearing and unforgettable picture book that captures the true essence of Christmas!

Told through sing-song rhymes and silly text, little readers will have a blast watching this Christmas decorations extravaganza unfold and implode in darkness. The jewel toned, filled to the brim illustrations perfectly bring Paul's charming and funny words to life. Every page is a glowing, colorful explosion of Christmas lights, blow-up decorations, expressive faces, and more, and young readers will enjoy pointing out all the holiday details.

MY RATING

Ellis Paul is a singer and songwriter whose style bridges pop and modern folk. In a career spanning more than twenty years, he has released 18 albums, including The Day After Everything Changed. The first of his two children’s albums, The Dragonfly Races, was one of NPR’s top ten picks for 2008. He grew up in northern Maine and is now based in Boston. He spends much of the year on the road, playing nearly 200 tour dates around the country. The Hero in You is his first picture book.

A Halloween Scare At My House Spotlight Tour

I'm thrilled to have the A Halloween Scare At My House Spotlight Tour stopping by today...

A Halloween Scare at My House

by Eric James

illustrated by Marina Le Ray

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

The perfect gift for every child or kid-at-heart who also loves celebrating the most eerie and thrilling night of the year, the Halloween Scare regional series offers a jaunty tale with a humorous bent—sure to ward off any creature who goes bump in the night in cities and states across the country!

Now with 78 titles highlighting different cities, states, and regions in the U.S. and Canada, each book in the Halloween Scare series features art and text created especially for a specific state or city. Fun Halloween creatures and critters haunt your favorite landmarks, including famous sites like the Statue of Liberty in New York, California’s Hollywood sign, the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan, Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp, Churchill Downs in Kentucky, the San Jacinto Monument in Texas and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina.

With its bouncing rhyme, colorful illustrations, and funny story, the Halloween Scare series is a delightful Halloween adventure for everyone who loves a silly, spooky tale.  It’s perfect for younger readers who can explore their state or city and little learn more about the places and landmarks that make their homes unique.

Prepare, if you dare, for a Halloween scare,

A night of pure terror to whiten your hair.

A tale full of sights that are best left unseen. You ready? You sure?

This was my Halloween.

Available at all major booksellers

You find out more about this customized picture book, see more illustrations, and find buy links HERE

Eric James’ picture book series, A Halloween Scare, is a truly unique and spectacular reading experience. As Eric’s website states, A Halloween Scare is “A funny, spooky children’s book with a an uplifting and empowering ending, set in a world your child already knows”. A Halloween Scare comes in 78 different versions, covering 78 different locations. Each different location books is slightly altered to include sights, places, buildings, cities, etc in that specific location, both within the text and pictures.

I've read both the general (non-specific location) version of A Halloween Scare and the Carolinas version and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM! This is seriously one of the cutest, funniest, most clever, and entertaining little Halloween books I’ve ever read. Told in lyrical, amusing rhymes, A Halloween Scare is utterly delightful and adorable. James creates such a fun and spooktastic story that is appropriate for even the littlest readers. Here is an example of the wonderfully whimsical verse and how it’s been altered to fit the specific location:

The creepies were crawly, the crazies were crazed,

The zombies from Charleston had eyes that were glazed.

The ogres from Asheville were ugly as sin,

With big bulging noses and warts on their chin.

Marina Le Ray’s illustrations are fantastic! Bright and eye-catching and full of so many funny, silly pictures, each page will charm and entertain little readers. And like the altered text, the illustrations depict well known places, sights, sports teams, etc around its specific location. I had so much fun flipping through the book and discovering each little nod to the Carolinas.

My Final Thoughts: A Halloween Scare is about as perfect as picture books get! With its clever and customized story, fantastical text, and spellbinding illustrations this is one book your little readers will want to read again and again. I can’t recommend this series enough!

MY RATING

5/5 yummy cupcakes

About the Author and Illustrator:

Eric James is a children’s book author, word tickler, and champion asparagus thrower. You can find him online atwww.ericjames.co.uk. He lives in Bath, England, with his family.

Marina Le Ray has had success both as a children’s book illustrator as well as a greeting card designer. She lives and works in Nantes, France.

5 people will win a Halloween Scare Regional Book of their choice!

(this tour wide giveaway is not run by Word Spelunking)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Picture Book Review: A Halloween Scare by Eric James

I'm thrilled to share my review of Eric James' custom Halloween picture book today..

A Halloween Scare in the Carolinas

by Eric James

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

A fun and funny Halloween romp for children and parents alike!

It's Halloween night, and creatures and critters from near and far are starting to gather outside the front door. And now here comes a whole army of monsters, on broomsticks, buses, and bikes, all clamoring in the darkness. What is it they want? Are they coming for you?

This humorous, creative story is the perfect Halloween adventure for children and parents to share.

Eric James’ picture book, A Halloween Scare, is a truly unique and spectacular reading experience. As Eric’s website states, A Halloween Scare is “A funny, spooky children’s book with a an uplifting and empowering ending, set in a world your child already knows”. A Halloween Scare comes in 29 different versions, covering 29 different locations throughout the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Each different location books is slightly altered to include sights, places, buildings, cities, etc in that specific location, both within the text and pictures.

I received, for review, A Halloween Scare in the Carolinas and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! This is seriously one of the cutest, funniest, most clever, and entertaining little Halloween books I’ve ever read. Told in lyrical, amusing rhymes, A Halloween Scare is utterly delightful and adorable. James creates such a fun and spooktastic story that is appropriate for even the littlest readers. Here is an example of the wonderfully whimsical verse and how it’s been altered to fit the specific location:

The creepies were crawly, the crazies were crazed,

The zombies from Charleston had eyes that were glazed.

The ogres from Asheville were ugly as sin,

With big bulging noses and warts on their chin.

Marina Le Ray’s illustrations are fantastic! Bright and eye-catching and full of so many funny, silly pictures, each page will charm and entertain little readers. And like the altered text, the illustrations depict well known places, sights, sports teams, etc around its specific location. I had so much fun flipping through the book and discovering each little nod to the Carolinas.

My Final Thoughts: A Halloween Scare is about as perfect as picture books get! With its clever and customized story, fantastical text, and spellbinding illustrations this is one book your little readers will want to read again and again. I can’t recommend it enough!

MY RATING

-You find out more about this customized picture book, see more illustrations, and find buy links HERE

-You can see which locations are available and which cities, sights, symbols, etc are featured in each book HERE

Watch the full animated UK version of this book below!

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Eric James lives in the South of England, with his beautiful family. He’s a children’s author, word tickler and champion asparagus thrower. His first book, a rhyming story about Halloween is out now (first published in August 2014). 

Picture Book Review and Guest Post-- Max's Little Brother by Eric James

I'm very excited to be reviewing Eric James' picture book, Max's Little Brother, today! Eric is also stopping by for a guest post...

Max's Little Brother

by Eric James

illustrated by minkee

Max was a very happy little boy .... until his baby brother came along!

A rhyming story about a little boy called Max who is initially jealous at the arrival of his new baby brother. Yet when his brother goes to “stay with his monster friend” and doesn’t come back, Max feels the need to rescue him. He embarks on an adventure, and in the process Max not only overcomes his jealousy, but learns that his little brother isn’t so bad after all.

I was very lucky to get the chance to read an early copy of Eric James’ utterly adorable and charming picture book, Max’s Little Brother. Max was a good, special boy, but when his baby brother arrives, Max becomes quite jealous and wants nothing more than to send his brother far away. Max gets meaner and meaner until his baby brother has had enough and runs away to an unlikely place, and Max must see the error of his ways.

I’m very much in love with this funny and highly entertaining story. Each time I read it (and I’ve read it a bunch), it never fails to make me giggle and smile. There’s something so very refreshing and special about this little story; it’s laugh-out-loud funny and heart-warming in ways that you don’t often find in picture books.

Eric James is a superb storyteller and rhyming master! His rhymes flow lyrically and just sound pleasing to the ear when said aloud (and this is a book that demands to be read aloud!). Since picture books are usually short and have sparse text, every single word matters and must be chosen with great care, and Eric James does a fantastic job of choosing the perfect words and rhymes. Here's some of my favorite lines:

"You're mean and so I'm leaving now." His little brother said. "I'm staying with my monster friend Who lives beneath my bed. Tell Mummy and tell Daddy That I love them very much, And when I've learned my ABCs I'll write to keep in touch."

The story in Max’s Little Brother is one that many little readers can relate to. Eric James depicts the highs and lows of having a sibling with amusing honesty. Little readers will find both Max and his little brother to be fun, relatable characters, and will delight in the surprising and sweet ending.

One of the things I love best about Max’s Little Brother are all the incredible illustrations by Minkee. As you can tell by the cover, the illustrations are bright, eye-catching, and ever so cute! Minkee brings Eric James’ words to life spectacularly.

Max’s Little Brother really is an awesome, witty picture book and both Eric James and Minkee have gained a fan in me! The little readers in your life will wanna hear it again and again, but don’t worry, the story is so fun that you won’t mind reading it again and again.

I would LOVE to see this book published and YOU can help that happen by supporting the Kickstarter Campaign for it!

Four & a Half Important Lessons I Learned From Writing a Rhyming Story

by Eric James

Have the likes of Julia Donaldson, Shel Silverstein and Dr. Suess inspired you to create a rhyming masterpiece of your own? Before you put pen to paper read through this little list containing four and a half lessons I’ve learned through the process of writing Max’s Little Brother my little story about sibling rivalry. I’m not suggesting you abandon your dream altogether, but it never hurts to know just what you’re getting yourself in to!

LESSON #1: Avoid writing in rhyme if you dream of international stardom.

Write a great novel and you have the potential to enjoy great success in a global market, but it’s not so with rhymes. Due to the intricacies of wordplay and the need for certain words to rhyme you’ll discover that with very few exceptions too much will get lost in translation. Yes, there is a large English speaking market in the world, but by writing in rhyme you will still be limiting your reach, so if you’re determined to write in rhyme then you’d better forget about having a global best seller.

LESSON #2: Watch your language!

So you’ve dropped your hopes of international stardom, and you’re content with simply being a huge star in your own country? Great! But beware; You can inadvertently limit your audience further through your choice of words. Although it’s short and sweet, I still managed to refer to several things in Max’s Little Brother that may distance me from American readers: I talk about  “Mummy”, not “Mommy”, and I use the word ‘bum’, which is actually intended to refer to a posterior (and to be a little bit naughty), but I guess it could be interpreted as some kind of slur on the homeless by my cousins across the pond!

In most forms of fiction substitution is less of a problem, but when your words need to rhyme, there will often be no decent alternative. Thankfully most misunderstandings are harmless (‘pants’, ‘jam’ and ‘crisps’ for example) but others could be downright offensive so be careful.

Not only can meanings be affected, but so can the metre of the rhyme. Unless you have the funds to be able to employ multiple editors and create localised copies of your book just be aware of these differences within the English language and approach with caution.

LESSON #3: Get plenty of people to read your rhyme back to you, out loud, and listen closely to how they do it because there will be important differences to pick up on.

Until I wrote a rhyming story I never considered the implications of people placing stresses on words where I had not intended them to be, but they do, and it can make the difference between someone thinking your rhyme is ‘tight’ or ‘sloppy’. Consider the following:

“There was just Max”

Most people seem to read  this as I would expect them to: “There was just Max” which can be expressed as “De-do-de-do”. However, a number of people run the first two words in to each other, putting slightly more emphasis on “there”: “Therewas just Max”, and this results in a slightly different rhythm that can be expressed as “Doodle-de-do”.

So we have “De-do-de-do” vs “Doodle-de-do”, which may seem like a very trivial distinction, but when someone’s interpretation of the metre in one line is at odds with the metre in the next line, (or in your next verse) they can end up stumbling, and that can be enough for them to dislike the entire thing.

Now look at this line:

“A boy called Max”

It’s very similar to the first example and contains the same number of syllables, but you’ll see that the same issue is unlikely to occur. That line’s metre will predominantly be heard as “De-do-de-do” and so given the choice it may make more sense to go with this option.

You can drive yourself nuts trying to accommodate everyone’s style of reading (I know I did) and so rather than sacrifice otherwise good verses for lesser versions in an attempt to avoid all possible problems,  just focus on resolving the most common issues.

LESSON #4: If something is causing you problems early on, consider whether it will continue to do so, and change tack if necessary.

I really loved the idea of Max being the only person in the book who is referred to by name. It saved me from having to introduce any other characters by name, which I felt was a waste of precious space. This seemingly small decision caused me a big headache down the line, even after I gave in and named the monster as well.

In my case, with the monster excluded I ended up with is a story containing 3 male characters: Max, his brother, and his father. Now think what happens when I use words like ‘he’, ‘him‘ or ‘brother’ in a verse. Who does “he” refer to? Do I mean the father or the brother? If it’s a brother, which brother do I mean?

Clarification became a nightmare, and in striving for it I had to ditch verses which I otherwise loved. Going back on this decision later on in the process meant a huge rewrite and a change to too many earlier verses so I didn't do it. It would have been easier to do at an earlier stage.

LESSON #4.5:

This applies to all books (and so it only counts as half a point!) but it’s definitely worth mentioning that no matter how good your rhyme is, you will find it absolutely impossible to please everyone.

Every change I put forward to my ‘panel’ of reviewers (i.e. friends who I harangued into listening to every permutation of every verse) would cause some kind of division.

The only thing you can do is to ask for honest opinions, consider them carefully without letting your pride get in the way, and then adapt where necessary, but otherwise stand by your convictions!

Conclusion

Would I write another rhyming story? Absolutely! In fact I already have, and I applied most of the above rules to the process. “Most?” you say. Yes, rules are fine unless they get in the way.  Never let rules spoil your fun!

If you enjoyed this article please check out the Kickstarter campaign for Max’s Little Brother which started on 20th November and only runs for 30 days. There are some exclusive rewards on offer, and the biggest help you can give me is to tell your friends about it too!

Happy writing!

Eric James

You can read a sample of this book here.

Check out the Kickstarter Campaign here.

 website * facebook * twitter

Eric James lives in the wonderful Georgian city of Bath, England. One sunny afternoon he wrote a silly little rhyme about a boy called Max. "Writing silly rhymes is much more fun than my real job" he thought.

That evening he read the rhyme to his girlfriend who liked it so much she said "You should turn it in to a book", so he did!

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

One day Eric saw Minkee wandering around the internet and said "Hello, 
would you draw some pictures for me?" Minkee said "Yes" and it turns out she was  very good at drawing indeed. Eric bought Minkee some crayons and she drew all the pictures that were in Eric's head. Minkee lives on the internet and you can find her here.