Fabulously illustrated by H. B. Lewis, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's hilarious romp through the land of be-careful-what-you-wish-for offers a whole year's worth of holiday fun magic.
This year, I was very specific in my letter to Santa Claus.
Each year at Christmas, Joe writes a letter to Santa. But they've had a few misunderstandings in the past. Last year, for example, Joe wanted a fire-engine-red racecar with retracting headlights, and he did get one -- but it was only three inches long. So this year Joe is really, really careful. He describes exactly what he wants -- and on Christmas morning, guess what's waiting for him under the tree! Santa has brought him a living, breathing, black-and-white penguin named Osbert. Will anything in Joe's life ever be the same?
Fabulously illustrated by H. B. Lewis, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's hilarious romp through the land of be-careful-what-you-wish-for offers a whole year's worth of holiday fun magic.
This year, I was very specific in my letter to Santa Claus.
Each year at Christmas, Joe writes a letter to Santa. But they've had a few misunderstandings in the past. Last year, for example, Joe wanted a fire-engine-red racecar with retracting headlights, and he did get one -- but it was only three inches long. So this year Joe is really, really careful. He describes exactly what he wants -- and on Christmas morning, guess what's waiting for him under the tree! Santa has brought him a living, breathing, black-and-white penguin named Osbert. Will anything in Joe's life ever be the same?
Elizabeth Cody Kimmel is a widely published author of fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults. Her recent projects include a middle-grade series about Buffalo Bill Cody and the picture book WHAT DO YOU DREAM? Of MY PENGUIN OSBERT, she says: "I love everything about Antarctica . . . except being cold. I love the idea of all that ice and snow and wind, and I can imagine bundling myself up and hiking through the winter wonderland. But when reality sets in, I can't stand the cold, and I think that is how Osbert was born."
H. B. "Buck" Lewis is an award-winning author and illustrator whose work has appeared on billboards, TV commercials, and magazine covers. These days, he spends his time writing and illustrating picture books and designing characters for animated feature films from Dreamworks, Disney, Blue Sky/Fox, and Pixar, among others. H. B. Lewis currently lives in Los Angeles and misses the East Coast terribly -- especially when it snows! This is his first book with Candlewick Press.
In this playful cautionary tale, a boy asks Santa for-and receives-a gift that proves more than he can handle. On Christmas morning, Joe tiptoes downstairs to find just what he wanted under the tree: a real-live penguin named Osbert. But after several very frigid days out in the snow, lots of cold-water baths and meals of creamed herring with his new penguin pal, Joe wonders if he's made a wise choice. A follow-up letter to Santa gets a response with some thinly veiled advice in the form of two free passes to the grand opening of Antarctic World at the local zoo. Though the predictable ending wraps things up tidily, youngsters will still find much to enjoy in this lighthearted fantasy with realistic holiday roots (and the refrain will likely produce chuckles: "But I had asked for Osbert, and now I had him"). Lewis's (Can I Have a Stegosaurus, Mom? Can I? Please!?) blend of watercolor, pastel and some digital rendering creates an appropriately dreamy-looking backdrop for Joe's adventure. A cool blue-white palette is often tempered with the glow and shadow generated by inviting indoor lighting. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
PreS-Gr 2-After several years in which his Christmas wishes have gone awry, Joe gets smart and writes Santa a detailed and exact description of the present he wants-a real live penguin. He gets what he asked for, but providing his new friend with meals of creamed herring and taking cold baths with him turn out to be more than he bargained for. Written with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor, this quietly quirky tale is accompanied by expressive watercolor-and-pastel illustrations depicting the determined-to-make-this-work Joe and his irrepressible pet. This holiday story will make kids laugh all year long.-E. M. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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