Happy All-idays!

August 12, 2022

PreS-The title refers to three of the holidays celebrated toward the end of the year in the United States: Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa. There is also a page introducing Chrismukkah, a holiday described as being celebrated with "eight candles and a tree." Disappointingly, this book does not provide any details on these holidays, and the pictures offer only the barest depictions of what families might do for them. There are also several other holidays celebrated around the end of the year that should be included in a book using "all-idays" in the title. VERDICT Although it might be a cute stocking-stuffer, this book does not add anything to a library collection.-Peggy Henderson Murphy

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2022
A look at the many ways people observe the holiday season. This rhyming board book serves as a brief introduction to different celebrations. Each two-page layout features a family with items and symbols, such as a menorah or a Christmas tree, as well as a holiday card. Many different types of families are shown getting into the spirit: a single parent and child and a multiracial family, among others. The book includes not only Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, but also "Chrismukkah" (a celebration of both Christmas and Hanukkah). Notably, one spread depicts a family with no holiday symbols; instead, the text wishes readers a cheerful, nonreligious "Season's Greetings / and Happy New Year!" The illustrations are simple and colorful. Nearly everyone is portrayed with a smile or an open-mouthed grin. Though the art may lack overall sophistication, its inclusive depiction of people gets high marks--in keeping with the book's spirit of representation, characters range in age, size, ability, and skin tone. While it can be difficult to draw out nuance in a story for toddlers, this book does a lot to underscore the point that family and celebration don't have singular definitions. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A thoughtful and inclusive overview of seasonal celebrations. (Board book. 2-4)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 12, 2022
“The time has come/ to send holiday cheer/ to family and friends/ far and near.” In this seasonal board book with a snail-mail locus, an image of a mail carrier gives way to depictions of varied celebrations, portrayed on each verso page via a group scene and each recto in a holiday card–like image. Throughout, geometric figures portrayed with varying abilities, body types, family structures, and skin tones celebrate. A child and two caretakers deck the halls by the fire (“We wish you a merry Christmas/ and much holiday cheer”), another child and two adults observe the Festival of Lights (“We wish you a Happy Chanukah/ on each of the eight nights”), and an intergenerational group celebrates Kwanzaa (“May faith, love, and unity/ bring rich blessings to you”). Alongside Jin’s buoyant rhyming lines, Sayegh’s wintry illustrations center a community of loved ones surrounded by bottomless comfort and boundless joy. Ages 1–5.

November 1, 2022
"The time has come to send holiday cheer / to family and friends far and near." Outside an apartment building whose windows showcase holiday decorations (including Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa), a woman is mailing something. On each subsequent spread of this informative and cheerful board book, left-hand pages show families celebrating their traditions (some religious, some secular, and even a nod to the interfaith "Chrismukkah") while right-hand pages display their holiday greeting cards. Sayegh's inclusive illustrations feature one child in a wheelchair and others from same-sex, opposite-sex, interracial, intergenerational, and single-parent families, all gathered outside as a community on the last spread. Happy all-idays, indeed! Cynthia K. Ritter

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2022
"The time has come to send holiday cheer / to family and friends far and near." Outside an apartment building whose windows showcase holiday decorations (including Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa), a woman is mailing something. On each subsequent spread of this informative and cheerful board book, left-hand pages show families celebrating their traditions (some religious, some secular, and even a nod to the interfaith "Chrismukkah") while right-hand pages display their holiday greeting cards. Sayegh's inclusive illustrations feature one child in a wheelchair and others from same-sex, opposite-sex, interracial, intergenerational, and single-parent families, all gathered outside as a community on the last spread. Happy all-idays, indeed!

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)