This review reminds me of the scene in Lilo and Stitch where Jumba and Pleakley toss the b*mb back and forth and say all the holidays. Or: It is a mish mash of a bunch of holidays.
First I will start with a February 2027 title that I liked a lot more than I thought I would. It is called The Easter Wolf by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Brandon James Scott. No, it is not WOW OMG BEST BOOK EVER but it is DAMN! This is a FREAKING hoot! The Wolf of the story has one wish: to be an Easter Bunny. But of course, wolf. A big toothed, unbathed, mean ol’ big bad wolf (or is he?). But with persistence and people…ah bunnies… overcoming their prejudices, our wolf friend is just that: a friend and one darn good Easter bunny when the time comes.
The illustrations are fantastically sweet, silly, and very Eastery. Good colors that are all the Easter joy you can think of. So, of course, it was a bit much for me at times (All. That. Pastel.), but it really captures the spirit of the things and they are not crowded, but are filled with details. This allows you to focus on the story and not be distracted by them.
Unlike A Christmas Full of Poetry: A poem for every day of December by Joseph Coelho, Viola Wang, Debora Adachi, Laura Martin and Fatima Ordinola. There is a lot going on in the pages, so the images can distract from the poetry of the season. I was hoping to really jump in and love everything but this is a book that you need to be in the mood for. I think as it was read via an online reader copy, I need the physical book and therefore, since it is currently available, I can. The poems cover everything from traditions to snowpeople and more. There is just goodness all around.
The illustrations, as mentioned, are busy. There are two pages where, while I’m assuming they are from two different illustrators, are so similar that they blend together and it took away from things for me. I think, if they had been on different pages it would have been better. At least, for me. I do want to see the final version just for comparison. Other than that, it is an interesting addition to the holiday. 
In mid-February 2027 Truco O Susto. La Noche de Halloween / The Haunted Playground by R. J. Palacio will be out. I read the English version of The Haunted Playground, but I am not able to read the Spanish version. But I hope someone can. It is an interesting read. Bret Helquist (the illustrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events) makes this spine-tingling Halloween picture book adventure (from the publisher description) a clever story. The first read around I was not really into things, but I let it sit and realized the potential of things. Maybe it is not my favorite book, but I have grown to like it.
This book is available, so though I missed the “deadline” by society standards, you still can read it any time, year around. The concept is both fresh, new and has familiar elements. It is all about playing, and who is doing the playing. The fun flows through the story and images, supporting each other, and both are used to make the story come alive.
All books were read via an online reader copy.
