Home for Christmas [Hardcover]

Jan Brett (Author, Illustrator)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (November 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399256539
• ISBN-13: 978-0399256530
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 10.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Christmas

More About the Author

Jan Brett is the author of the New York Times bestselling Gingerbread Friends, The Three Snow Bears, and The Mitten, as well as many other classics. She lives in Norwell, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic illustrations, just okay storytelling, November 6, 2011

By 

J. Prather (IN USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Home for Christmas (Hardcover)

Home for Christmas tells the story of a naughty troll who doesn't want to do his chores. After a brief visit to some other families (owls,otters, moose, and bears), he learns that his family was pretty great after all! When he learns his lesson and loses his tail, something that happens to all GOOD, helpful little trolls, he joins his family for a lavish Christmas celebration that is beautifully illustrated with Brett's trademark detail.

It's impossible to look at a Jan Brett creation and not marvel at the artistic skill on display. The illustrations for Home for Christmas are as beautiful as ever, with enough sidebars, embellishments and flourishes to keep kids coming back for more. Unfortunately the storytelling is not all that spectacular or original, so this is not one of my Brett favorites. Our troll learns a good lesson, and it is a heartwarming tale for Christmas, but it just didn't have the impact I was expecting. This is a must have for the Brett enthusiasts out there, just not my first choice for Christmas.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't stop reading this..., November 11, 2011

By 

Bibliophile (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home for Christmas (Hardcover)

We bought this at a Jan Brett book signing and haven't stopped reading it since. My almost-4-year-old asks me to read this to her at least twice a day! She really identifies with Rollo and wants to be a troll for next Halloween. We love looking at the pictures and the beautiful insets for which Jan Brett is famous. "It has wonderful illustrations and perfect storytelling" (from my 7 year old). "What I like about it is that I really love the pictures - they're so beautiful" (from my 3 year old). Our favorite bits: check out the pig's ear-hat and the cat's toy at the end. A definite warm-hearted must for the holiday season!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully illustrated winter tale, November 11, 2011

By 

E. Strickenburg (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Home for Christmas (Hardcover)

This is the charming story of Rollo, a naughty young troll, who runs away from home in order to evade his chores, has some wonderful adventures with a variety of northern animals, and learns the value of family and kindness. The story closes with a beautiful Scandinavian Christmas celebration. Each page is rich with detail and brings alive its Swedish folklore setting. It's also a wonderful introduction to the lives of northern animals: owls, bears, otters, lynx, and moose.

Jan Brett's illustrations are as magnificent as ever. Each page has an intricate birchbark "frame," with smaller pictures tucked into the side of the frame which point to other parts of the story. They're perfect illustrations for allowing the child to help tell the story: much of the detail one notices in the illustrations isn't repeated in the text. While the storyline is more predictable than The Hat or The Mitten, it's charming and good for reading aloud.

Curl up with your child and some mugs of cider and enjoy this book together on a long winter evening.