A Christmas Too Big

Description

Age range 5 to 9 A little too much Christmas cheer... Kerry's family goes completely berserk with Christmas every year. Starting the day after Thanksgiving, her home becomes a whirlwind of lights, music, and elves, elves, elves! Sometimes it gets a little overwhelming. This year, Kerry is desperate for some peace and quiet. Heading outdoors, she realizes a lot of her neighbors are having a Christmas too big. But not Mrs. Flores. She's having a much quieter Christmas, complete with decorations and music from the country where she used to live. It sparks an idea: maybe there's a way for Kerry to create her own Christmas traditions. But will anyone in her crazy Christmas house understand? Join Kerry as she finds her voice in this delightful holiday tale.

Colleen Madden grew up in a crazy Christmas house and, like Kerry, she found a break by spending time with her neighbor who was from another country. She has illustrated many children's books, including the bestselling What If Everybody? series, written by Ellen Javernick, and the picture-book adaptation of All I Want for Christmas Is You, by Mariah Carey. She recently published Monkey Walk, her debut as both author and illustrator, and is currently working on her first graphic novel. She lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two sons.

"The illustrations use speech bubbles in both English and Spanish to advance the story; the art perfectly reflects the overload, relief, and joy that Kerry experiences: Busy spreads give way to simpler ones, and a refreshing new color scheme is introduced with the paper flowers...An intergenerational friendship and a busy holiday made meaningful set this title apart." -Kirkus Reviews "Madden's bilingual tale strikes both humorous and poignant notes; the visual blend of comic-style panels, playful fonts, speech bubbles in both English and Spanish, and traditional spreads offers readers plenty to celebrate." -Publishers Weekly