Customer Reviews

Christmas Cricket

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

 

 

"It was cold in the garden. Cricket felt small and worthless in the bigness of night..." He hops up icy steps, under a big door, across sleek floors, into a warm room, "and over to a tall tree with stars clinging to it." He hopped onto a branch and began to sing. And that's when he hears the voices of father and child discussing the songs of angels. "Did you know that angels sing in the songs of birds, and frogs and people and crickets?" the big voice asked..." The child didn't know that and neither did Cricket. "He was small, then. But not worthless. What a great discovery!" Eve Bunting's simple, gentle text is poetic, and complemented by Timothy Bush's stunning and expressive illustrations. Together word and art celebrate the wonders of the holiday season in a warm and touching way. Perfect for little ones 3-7, Christmas Cricket is just right for quiet, read aloud cuddling, and is a sweet and lovely story to help ring in the holidays. "And in his hiding place Cricket rubbed his wings, one against the other for his own joy, and sang and sang, and sang."

I like Christmas stories and when our children were small, and then many years later when our grandsons took their place at reading time, in the evening, when all was quite before bedtimes, I use to love to read these stories to them. While this book was published after those delightful days, I can assure you that this book would have been in that special, and large, pile of books reserved for bedtime reading.

This is the story of a very lonely, small and seemingly insignificant cricket caught in the bigness and gloom of the night. It is raining and our little guy is feeling quite sorry for himself and a bit worthless. As chance would have it he ventures from the bush where he is crouched, goes up a flight of stares, under a door and finds himself in a new and strange world.

After traveling through the house he finds a very strange tree aglow with lights and strange ornaments. He climbs into the tree, feels rather comfortable, and begins his song.

A father is talking with his child and the child suddenly says, "Dad? I thought I heard the angle sing," a small voice said, so close that it scared Cricket into silence. Upon investigation, the father finds the cricket and we hear him say...one of the best lines in the book:

"Did you know that angels

sing in the songs of birds,

and frogs

and people

and crickets?"

This a story of self realization; the realization that no matter who you are, not matter how small your voice, that you really do count in the big picture of life.

I love the art work by Timothy Bush in this one. The text allows the reader to become very somber, serious, sad and then extremely happy and mellow. This is one of those books that much depends upon the skill of the reader to hold the child's attention as it is not a slam-bang adventure story full of bells and whistles. This one will actually require the adult reader to (gasp!) work a bit. No, the reader must read it correctly and if done right, it will give the child much to think about and ponder. Like adults, children can become intellectually lazy and end up as one of those people without imagination whose only accomplishment in life will the ability to turn on a T.V. screen with the remote. It is our job as adults to try to prevent this.

All in all, an excellent read.

Don Blankenship

The Ozarks

I love the concept of this book--the cricket at Christmas in California perhaps. The sentiment is lovely--no one is worthless. The grace of the written word fell a little short of wonderful. While the message is beautiful, this is not a Christmas book that my children ask to be read again and again.