________________
CM . . .
. Volume XIX Number 8. . . .October 26, 2012
excerpt:
Finding Christmas is yet another classic by beloved duo Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko. The story is a warm Christmas tale that is accessible to a wide readership thanks to the humour and message about family love. The family portrayed is actually Robert Munsch’s own family. His daughter, Julie, has always found her Christmas presents in the past, but she worries because she has not been able to find them yet this year. When her friend suggests that they are in a large box on the sleigh that Julie’s parents put on their roof as a decoration, Julie climbs up and finds the presents, but then she cannot get back out of the box. Her parents eventually find her and decide that she is their Christmas present and they wrap her up. Her brother and sister see her under the Christmas tree and gift-wrap themselves, too. On Christmas morning, the family agrees “that it was the best Christmas ever.” Munsch’s writing is amusing and to the point. Repetition is used at times which is excellent for a read-a-loud. Readers are able to suspend their disbelief that a child would actually climb up onto her room or that her parents would leave her under a Christmas tree all night – this is part of the purposeful exaggeration Munsch uses to draw a laugh. The resolution of the story, that family is the best Christmas present, is sweet without becoming overly sentimental. Finding Christmas is sure to be a story enjoyed at libraries, schools, and homes alike. Highly Recommended. Zoe Pappas-Acreman, a librarian at the Ottawa Public Library, is passionate about children’s literature. She is on the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award jury and participated on the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s committees for their publication Best Books for Kids & Teens.
To comment
on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal
use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any
other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
NEXT REVIEW |
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE
- October 26, 2012.
AUTHORS |
TITLES |
MEDIA REVIEWS |
PROFILES |
BACK ISSUES |
SEARCH |
CMARCHIVE |
HOME |