Customer Reviews

Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a trainwreck. I love the first book, Auntie Claus, I haven't read the second. This book fails in the following ways: the illustrations lack much of the care and, frankly, the spatial and pictorial clarity of the first book. In several pages the background is such a swimmy blue and purple mess it's genuinely hard to tell what we're supposed to be seeing. The renderings of the characters has become distressingly cutesified - Auntie Claus looks so marvelously thin and astringent in the original, and she seems to be recently flown in from planet Barbie in this book.

Auntie Claus's central theme in the first book was lovely - It is far better to give than receive. The plot was well-constructed around Sophie's development and sudden understanding of this truth. In this book Auntie Claus's wisdom goes like this: You can have your cake and eat it too. The moral of this latest book comes across as perhaps the opposite of the first. I was amazed at the indignation this stirred up in me. A driving crisis in the plot of this book? The Sugar Plum ballerina gets too fat for her pink tutu. Not too fat to dance, mind you, just too fat for the tutu. I'm not a ninny, or a moralist, or some sort of P.C. learning-and-hugs scold, but I honestly cannot imagine continuing to read to my 5-year-old daughter a story where the horrible thing that happens that makes Sophie wonder if she can really have her cake and eat it too, is that the Sugar Plum Fairy got too fat for her tutu.

I could go on. I'll stop.

I really love the first book, and am truly sorry to say that in its illustration and plot and character development, this book seems to me badly conceived and poorly executed.

"Auntie Claus Home for the Hoildays" is a light and delightful secular Christmas book. It is a rather large picture book - 10 inches by 11 3/8 inches and has 40 pages. The book has a beautiful full color dust jacket with "Auntie Claus" in the title, embossed and done in shiny red metallic lettering. The dust jacket, itself, will captivate the interest of most children. Almost every page has a very colorful drawing done in a cartoon style similar to Walt Disney. The drawings are not my favorite style but most kids will really enjoy them.

This is an original Christmas tale. I especially love the author's originality in bringing the North Pole to New York City. It is quite enjoyable to experience the Bing Cherry Hotel and all of New York City transformed into the North Pole. That is the kind of thing that creates wonderful, unique and original stories that captivate the readers' attentions.

One of the favorite expressions of Auntie Claus in this book is "You can have your cake and eat it too." This very expression seems to invoke a materialistic and sometimes a "me" and self satisfaction attitude which does not fit into the Christmas spirit. However, the author does turn the whole thing around by showing that unselfish acts often pay off by giving the unselfish person a greater blessing.

The reasons I gave a three star rating is because when I read a child's Christmas book I like to see more of the true meaning of Christmas somewhere in the text. This book did have a tender, more in depth message when Sophie, who so looked forward to being the Sugar Plum Fairy in her school's Christmas play, gave her pink tutu to the real Sugar Plum Fairy because hers didn't fit any longer. I also felt the ending of this story was rather abrupt. As a reader I was looking for something else.

The book is a delightful Children's Christmas book, but a little short on the Christmas message.

Mrs. Primavera delivers again! This is the second book I have gifted to my niece and she adores the storyline provided yet again.... the illustrations are beautifully done. It is the perfect book to gift at the holidays.

I noticed one other review when I happened upon this link to purchase this as another gift for a good friends daughter ... the remarks of a train wreck are not only unfounded and seem a bit contrived, they also seem a tad overboard for any review of any children's book. I am certain Mrs. Primavera will overlook this ungracious review, yet I cannot. I give her much kudos and I look forward for more to come.

I just love Auntie Claus - and the artwork is amazing as always. I really look forward to her new adventures. PS I am a Grandmother and find the books a real smile maker!

As a first grade teacher I've always enjoyed reading Elise Primavera's books to my classes. And once again, with Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays, Ms. Primavera has brought joy and laughter to my classroom! The storyline and illustrations are filled with holiday spirit, excitement, and playfulness. This is the kind of book that inspires children to love reading. Keep those books coming, Ms. Primavera!

....As an adult I appreciate the touching story, positive messages and beautiful illustrations. Thumbs way up.

I have just finished reading this book and could not have been more delighted-and I have to agree with another reviewer here-the "train wreck" review seems a bit over the top-loved the illustrations and the story is charming..

Ive read them all and this one is top notch! Easily one of the better holiday childre books out there.

Loved the first two Auntie Claus books, and this one certainly doesn't disappoint. Great Holiday gift, the story is great, and the art is even better.

I have to disagree with the one star rating. The illustrations were extremely well done and the book was really well written.