Merry Christmas, Peanut!
by Terry Border
Date: 2017
Publisher: Philomel Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library
A sweet (or is it salty?) Christmas story with heart, humor, and plenty of punny holiday cheer.
Peanut is going over the river and through the woods to his grandmother's house for Christmas, but getting there is a food-filled adventure for this little nut! First he gets stuck in a traffic jam (make that a traffic jelly), then the bridge is closed so he has to take a (gravy) boat across the river, where he gets lost in a forest of (cookies shaped like) Christmas trees! But while the delays dismay his friends and family, Peanut embraces his role as the Merry Christmas Nut to cheer them up.
In this heart-warming and humorous Christmas tale based on the real-life adventures of one peanut -- including ice-skating on popsicles and making snow angels in powdered-sugar snow -- our food friends know that the true meaning of Christmas is joining with our loved ones to celebrate the joy of being together.
From the creator of Peanut Butter & Cupcake, tihs book is perfect for every family who wants to giggle together this holiday season.
(synopsis from Goodreads)
This is a funny, punny story about a legume and his parents who are trying to get to his grandma's house for Christmas dinner. But they keep running into one obstacle after another, and picking up new friends along the way as Peanut utters his refrain: "Don't be sad! I'll cheer you up! I'm the Merry Christmas Nut!"
The story is written fairly well, but it's the illustrations here that really won me over. They're just so silly. Each spread is a photographed scene with lots of creative touches (like a jelly truck that's the equivalent of a cement mixer). There's plenty to look at and lots to giggle over.
I've read a few books in this vein with posed objects as characters (including another of Border's books, Snack Attack!). This is one of the stronger ones. (Another nice winter-themed book done in a similar style is Mem Fox's Roly Poly. And another good Christmas-themed one is Michelle Olson's Norman's Gift. If you liked those books, you might like this one, too.)
Quotable moment:
Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Overall: 3.83 out of 5
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