Is it Christmas time already? Of course not! I've already read the first three books in this series and am pretty sure that this one (if it follows the same scheme as the others) will work for any day of the year...Christmas, too. The series hits ones magical creature after the other, points out their frustrating aspects, and has me smiling every time. Plus, the phrase 'Christmas in July' makes it appropriate enough to grab this read up and dive in (as if I need an excuse).
Grab those Santa hats because we're going to let the early Christmas dreams fly!
ELVES ARE THE WORST!
Are the Worst! #4
by Alex Willan
Simon & Schuster
Picture Book
40 pages
ages 4 to 8
COMING...
SEPTEMBER 12th!!!
Gilbert the Goblin infiltrates Santa’s workshop to prove that goblins are better workers than elves in the side-splitting latest installment in The Worst! picture book series, where even the strangest of creatures can become the best of friends.
Everyone knows that elves have a reputation of being the hardest workers around—especially when it comes to the holiday season—but as far as Gilbert the Goblin is concerned that’s nothing but ho-ho-hogwash. A goblin’s to-do list is just as long as any elf’s; they just don’t feel the need to sing songs about it.
To prove he can outperform any reindeer-watching, wrapper-paper-wielding, toy-tinkering elf, Gilbert puts on his merriest disguise to infiltrate Santa’s workshop. But can one lone goblin do the work of a whole team of elves?
Everyone knows that elves have a reputation of being the hardest workers around—especially when it comes to the holiday season—but as far as Gilbert the Goblin is concerned that’s nothing but ho-ho-hogwash. A goblin’s to-do list is just as long as any elf’s; they just don’t feel the need to sing songs about it.
To prove he can outperform any reindeer-watching, wrapper-paper-wielding, toy-tinkering elf, Gilbert puts on his merriest disguise to infiltrate Santa’s workshop. But can one lone goblin do the work of a whole team of elves?
MY TIDBITS
The humor puts smiles not only on kids but will have adults smirking and chuckling as well.
Elves, especially Christmas elves, aren't nearly as amazing as everyone acts like they are. Certainly not more impressive than a goblin. With carefully laid out evidence, this goblin reveals the truth behind elves...until it doesn't quite work out like he hopes.
After exploring dragons, unicorns, and yetis, the author now tackles elves in the most delightful way. It's fun to see what evidence the goblin presents (and that always in a serious tone). Especially in this book, the play on real life examples was funny...and if that doesn't have kids smiling, the more slap-stick humor toward the end of the tale will. It's a balanced mix to pull in kids and even offer adults something along the way.
The illustrations are bright and bold, and weave right in to add even more on the humor end. The comparison between elves and goblins hits especially well...and blurs lines in all the right ways. The elves come across, even when being scrutinized by the goblin, at the end in a way, which does keep the dreams of Christmas alive, making this a great holiday read. It does, however, work for any time of year, too.
With the silliness, there are also warming messages. Not only does the goblin continue (like in the other books) his mistake of building himself up by trying to shove others done, but there's also a message surrounding the value of working together as well as one concerning the importance of gathering different perspectives to make things even better. In other words, it's a read worth picking up.
1 comment:
This looks like a fun book. The cover is cute. My nephew might like it. Thanks.
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