Arthur's Perfect Christmas [Hardcover]

Marc Brown (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Arthur Adventure Series

While at first Arthur thought it was going to be a perfect Christmas, he's not so sure anymore. It hasn't snowed, the tree is decorated with trolls and unicorns, Dad decides to make an authentic "ancient" Christmas dinner, and Arthur accidentally breaks his gift for Mom. While Francine happily celebrates Hanukkah, Brian prepares for Kwanzaa, and Buster tries to find a holiday of his own, Arthur starts to think he'll have a terrible Christmas--until an unexpected guest changes everything. Full-color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ages 4-8. This book accompanies the PBS prime-time holiday special by the same name; hopefully, the action will make more sense on screen than it does on the page. There are several stories going on here. Arthur is hoping for a perfect Christmas, but everything is working against it: there's no snow; Dad is making a Middle Eastern meal instead of roasting a turkey; and Arthur picks out the perfect present for his mom and then breaks it. Then there are the subplots, which continue every few pages or so and make the narrative difficult to follow. In one rather bizarre subplot, Buster's mother keeps waking him up and giving him presents because she thinks his Christmas will be ruined without his dad, from whom she's divorced. In another, Muffy is rude when Francine chooses to stay home at Hanukkah rather than come to a Christmas party. All in all, this is a jumble, but some libraries will want to have the book on hand when the special airs. For die-hard fans. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Brown's charming cartoons add a bright, detail-rich view of the familiar characters..." -- School Library Journal, 10/00

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316119687
• ISBN-13: 978-0316119689
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marc Brown is the creator of the bestselling Arthur Adventure book series and co-developer of the children's PBS television series, Arthur. He has also created a second book series, featuring D.W., Arthur's little sister, as well as numerous other books for children. Marc Brown lives with his family in Tisbury, Massachusetts on Martha's Vineyard.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Arthur's Perfect Christmas, December 10, 2000

By 

"skipster32" (Houston, Tx. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arthur's Perfect Christmas (Hardcover)

Marc Brown's Arthur is very popular with young people. It is usually well written. However, I found Arthur's Christmas lacking. I thought at first a page was missing. The story did not flow well and felt like he was trying to cram everything about the winter holiday season into a 32 page book. I found it much too busy. It seemed rushed and not well thought out.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tug at Your Heart Life Lessons, December 10, 2000

By 

W. E. Fleming (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arthur's Perfect Christmas (Hardcover)

Despite the useful lesson that Americans enjoy the holiday season differently, the true gem of this story is the soothing way things can work out, even when they are not going the way you had hoped. ARTHUR'S PERFECT CHRISTMAS is really a story about how all of us get wound up for this time of the year, fantasize about it and become crushed when it's not so picture perfect. Our children, ages 8 and almost 4, shuddered when Arthur accidently broke the beautiful gift he had chosen for his mom--only to be buoyed by his Uncle's surprise gesture. They also watched intently as the typically spoiled Muffy finds that despite having received many Christmas gifts, what she wants most is a resurrection of her fractured friendship with Francine.

This story spends much energy on getting kids to understand that different families celebrate the holiday in different ways, from Hanukkah to Kwanzaa. Because Arthur fans never knew before that Arthur was a Christian, Francine a Jew and the Brain an African-American, it at first seems "stretched-to-fit", a little forced. The lesson, however, is invaluable because human beings even in similiar faiths and cultures do not necessarily celebrate in similiar ways. While this is an vital lesson of its own, it is ultimately trumped by one that all us can recognize and share, that is friendship and compassion towards others can prevail. It can make any holiday disappointment seem "perfect."

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly cut down from TV script, January 16, 2004

By 

C. Virtue (Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Arthur's Perfect Christmas (Hardcover)

It's clear that the book is an attempt to fit a whole TV special into a book. It's done poorly, and there even are characters who appear without explaination in the last few pages! I'd skip this book and buy others from the Arthur series.