The 12 Days of Christmas
by Xist Publishing
Date: 2012
Publisher: Xist Publishing
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 29
Format: e-book
Source: Amazon.ca
"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..." So begins one of the most famous Christmas carols in the English language. In this edition, the iconic images are paired with the poetry of the song to ensure that future generations will stack outrageous gift upon gift for years to come.
(synopsis from Goodreads)
Well, I think I've found the worst Christmas picture book yet! This was absolutely appalling. Not because the song is problematic or the illustrations are necessarily bad. But the whole thing is just so lazy. The publisher couldn't even be bothered to find decent pictures. I don't know who the artist is, because the copyright page just says the illustrations were licensed from Fotolia. I have a feeling they're all from one particular artist, because they all have a similar feel; it would've been nice to give that artist credit!
Also, the "11 pipers piping" page showed... a solitary trumpet. I might've given a flute a pass, but a trumpet?! Come on. Maybe if they weren't being so lazy with the illustrations, they could've found a set that actually fit the subject matter.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. Even the insipid note at the end was a waste of time. After reading this and the horrid Jingle Bells (also from this publisher) and being disgusted with the lack of effort that was put into both books, I think I'll be staying far away from Xist Publishing in the future.
Premise: 2/5
Meter: 2/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 1/5
Originality: 0/5
Enjoyment: 0/5
Overall: 1.14 out of 5
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