155. Board book: Dog's First Christmas. Natalie Nelson. 2024. 28 pages. [Source: Library] [board book, Christmas, pets, babies] [4 stars]
First sentence: Season's greetings! I am Dog. This is Baby. And it is Christmastime. A tree comes to live with us at this time of year. See this ball? It's not for fetching. See these branches? They're not for tugging.
Premise/plot: What you see is what you get. A dog and a baby having their first Christmas. It provides young ones with this perspective--Christmas through the eyes of a dog. The text is simple, yet not too simple. The illustrations are also on the simple, understated side for the most part.
My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I think there's also a cat-themed Christmas book which I'd be interested in reading at some point. If you love babies and pets and Christmas, this one is a fun title to share with the youngest of readers.
156. Santa Mouse Finds a Friend. Michael Brown. 2024. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, Christmas] [3 stars]
First sentence: At Christmastime when Santa Claus flies his sleigh from house to house, he brings along a little a friend, a friend who we all know as Santa Mouse. Each year they travel far and wide to visit all good girls and boys, arriving while the world's asleep with gifts of books and games and toys.
Premise/plot: Santa Mouse returns in this newest Christmas-themed picture book by Michael Brown. Santa and Santa Mouse are traveling via sleigh on Christmas Eve when the pair spots a kitten in trouble. What will they do? Will this kitten be saved?
My thoughts: The illustrations are SUPER adorable. I was less impressed with the text itself. It was fine. If you have a little one that LOVES kittens or cats, this one might be worth it for the illustrations alone. OR if you happen to be familiar with the Santa Mouse character.
© 2024 Becky Laney of Young Readers