Review - Snow Globe Wishes

Snow Globe Wishes
by Erin Dealey
illustrated by Claire Shorrock
Date: 2019
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

As the worst snow storm of the year rolls in, one family hunkers down together in a cozy blanket fort for the night. A little girl makes a wish on a snow globe and, in the morning, the sun rises on a winter wonderland--beckoning all outside. And what if, on this snow-filled day, families shake their busy lives and everyone goes out to play? A lyrical holiday story about wishes and community and snow--lots and lots of snow.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Snow Globe Wishes is okay, but it didn't really capture my imagination.

I think part of the problem I had is that the colour palette used in the illustrations leaves the whole book looking muted. Where's the magic? Where's the sparkle? I'm seeing those words in the text, but I'm not seeing them in the pictures.

Basically, there's a big storm and the power goes out. One family hunkers down and eats Chinese takeout and builds a blanket fort. The little girl makes a wish on her snow globe. In the morning, everything's covered in snow (I guess this is her wish come true, but it was kind of a given!) and the kids go outside to play. The adults join them, and soon the whole neighbourhood is holding hands like a bunch of Who-ville Whos while the book talks about peace on earth.

The rhyming text is just okay. I'm struggling to find something to grab on to here, though; there's nothing that really engaged me as a reader, or made me want to continue turning the pages.

Overall, this is a bit lacklustre. Aside from the premise of the blizzard and the family having a fun slumber party because of it, there's really not much here that I haven't seen many times before.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.57 out of 5

Review - Deck the Walls

Deck the Walls
by Erin Dealey
illustrated by Nick Ward
Date: 2013
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la la la la la. How wonderful the old carol sounds. A vision of warm family gatherings peacefully celebrating the holiday season comes to mind. But wait, this doesn’t sound like a peaceful family get-together. What is happening here? Deck the walls with mashed potatoes! Fa la la la la la la la la. Make a snowman with tomatoes. Fa la la la la la la la la. Author Erin Dealey has taken the old holiday classic and turned it on its head. In her riotous, raucous rendition of a family meal gone hilariously awry, you’ll find food hockey, vegetable sculptures, crashing dishes, and grown-ups wondering what has gone wrong. From “Feed the dog our peas and carrots” to “Food tastes better when you wear it,” readers young and old will never forget this new take on an old holiday carol!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. Are the kids misbehaving? Yes. But, to be fair, it's Christmas and they're probably full of sugar and adrenaline. Some of the kids' antics actually reminded me of past holiday celebrations with my own cousins, including one that ended with a cry of, "Grandma! There's ketchup on the curtains!"

The text is based on the traditional song "Deck the Halls", but most of the words have been changed to reflect a modern, Western family Christmas celebration. The kids play with their food and make messes, complain about their boring aunts and uncles, and spend time outside, always grateful that they have each other.

The illustrations are quite cute. There's plenty of humour and personality in the characters.

Sheet music for the original song and a recipe for sugar cookies are included at the back of the book.

I read this as an e-book, and from the very beginning, there were problems with formatting the text for the "fa la la" bits; there were never enough syllables, and on some pages the words were scattered willy-nilly. These problems also extended to the recipe, rendering it useless, as there appeared to be chunks of instructions missing. I'm not going to take any points off for that, because it's probably not an issue with other formats. Just be aware of this if you decide to go for the e-book edition.

Quotable moment:

Olive hockey with the cousins.
Fa la la la la
la la la la

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.86 out of 5