Stephanie Campisi

Ok, this gets bonus points for being charming *despite* being weird, not giving credit to [a:Hans Christian Andersen|6378|Hans Christian Andersen|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1434625240p2/6378.jpg], over-reliance on the word "beautiful," and being a little too obvious. I do appreciate that there were enough clues for people who do not live in cities to be able to figure out what a dim sum restaurant is. And something about the style of art just enchanted me.

Otoh, I won't actually show more recommend it. Read it if you get a chance to from your library, but it's probably not worth a special effort to request. On the third hand, I will investigate and consider other works by Campisi and/or Kober. show less

Luis, a street-wise cat who hangs out at the local firehouse, ever since being rescued as a kitten by the firefighters there, enjoys exploring the city. But when he comes upon the silky and sophisticated Tabitha, a beautiful kitty cat living in a penthouse apartment, he falls instantly and irrevocably in love. Unfortunately, he must love from afar, as Tabitha is locked behind a glass pane, and nothing Luis does, whether it be an offering of mice or of balloons, wins over Tabitha's human. An show more attempt at trickery almost gets him his heart's desire, but this effort too is thwarted. Then, when fire threatens his beloved (and her human), Luis springs into action, saving the day and finally winning through to his heart's desire...

A sweet tale of feline love, Luis and Tabitha pairs an engaging, ultimately heartwarming tale from author Stephanie Campisi with colorful, appealing, cute-as-a-button artwork from illustrator Hollie Mengert. Although I have never read anything else by Campisi, this is my second title from Mengert, following upon David W. Miles' Unicorn (and Horse), which she also illustrated, and which was also published by Familius. Mengert's illustrations here are quite expressive, capturing Luis and Tabitha's longing for one another, throughout the tale, and their happiness at finally being united, at the conclusion. There was something a little cinematic about this one - I could see it being made into an animated film. Recommended to young cat lovers, and to anyone looking for charming new picture-books about the course of true love, which (as we all know), never did run smooth. show less

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Familius, for this DRC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed below are my own.

Twelve resourceful elves band together to make sure that Christmas is a memorable occasion in this bright and lighthearted children's book. When a big storm upends Christmas celebrations in different part of the world, a group of Santa's elves immediately jump into action and work together to make sure that all of the festivities run show more smoothly. As the elves travel from place to place, they pay careful attention to the uniqueness of each country to make sure the details are just right, while having fun along the way.

I liked the brightness of the illustrations, and Susanna Covelli does well in establishing a distinct sense of place with each of the locations. One fun little touch with the illustrations is that for the most part, the people whom the elves are helping are nowhere to be seen, which reinforces the concept of the elves preparing each celebration as a welcome surprise for the people there. Some of the countries have very detailed spreads, while others, such as the Canada entry, could use a little more embellishment to match with the text.

The number of elves themselves have little bearing on the story's outcome, nor do they match up with the number of countries featured in the book, which actually comes out to nineteen. No explanation is given for this, or why twelve were chosen in the first place. The elves also don't speak in their own voices, so the reader doesn't get a sense of their personal characteristics, although they each have their own unique shape. (As a side note, I found myself wondering why they each slept in teeny cubbyholes that they have little room to turn about in. I'd imagine that Santa could afford more spacious accommodations for such hard and sweet workers, and they clearly don't take up much room.

There are a good mix of Christmas customs here, which include food, activities and decorations. I love the variety of countries featured, as they include ones that aren't often discussed for their particular traditions, such as Kenya and Lebanon. Children will enjoy reading about these events and finding similarities/differences between them and their own. The author's end notes are helpful and easy for children to grasp. I also appreciate how Campisi explains the nuance behind Christmas traditions. One such important point is the fact that some locations, such as India and Japan, don't have a large population that celebrates Christmas, and thus the holiday takes on more secular overtones. It would have been nice to have some included activities and recipes, but educators can use the notes as cues for further research and create activity plans based off of them. show less

Hahahaha. Oh having grown up with dogs--namely beagles who cannot listen worth a crap--I can understand Lulu. A dog who is not cut out for special trainings. It's just not her. She would rather dig and chase and smell ;)

Based on a story of a dog who failed her CIA training. I love it!

Only thing.....the illustrations include beagles as graduating from training. Yeah that ain't gonna happen! ;)