Festival of the Elves: The Magic Around You - Holly Figgyworth - ★★★.¾

-

AUTHOR: Holly Figgyworth

ILLUSTRATOR: Mai S. Kemble
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
RATING: 3.75 Stars.

In a Nutshell: A Christmas story that isn’t a Christmas story. 😃

Holly and Noel are two elves who are very impressed with their grandfather’s idea of the ‘Festival of the Elves’. This involves leaving little trinkets and notes on every day of December in the houses of family and friends, giving them a nice surprise and a theme for the day. Holly and Noel want to spread this custom into the human world too, but as there is only a limited supply of elf magic, they are allowed to try it in one human house. Thus they land up at the Puddington residence. What do you think? Will they be able to spread as much cheer there with the Festival of the Elves?

The story is like a combination of an Advent calendar and a treasure hunt. Through the daily note left by the elves in a bid to encourage the Puddingtons to spread cheer, there are many beautiful and fun moments coming out. I loved the catchphrase: “The Magic around you is the magic you make.” A nice way of remembering that magic and happiness lies in our own hands and that cheer enhances when spread.

There are plenty of good themes coming out in the book: the importance of family time, having fun, spreading joy, the joy of sharing,… Kids will be encouraged to try out such activities at home too. It could become a nice family tradition for December.

You will find subtle references to Christmas throughout the book: the names of the two elves, a map at the start of the book that has a mention of Santa’s workshop, many Christmassy decorations at the Puddington house,… However, there’s no direct mention of the festival or of anything religious. This approach makes the book a wonderful December read for everyone and not just those who celebrate Christmas.

I would have loved some more focus on the reasons behind the characters’ actions. Many a time, it felt like we knew the whats but not the whys. The Puddingtons’ reaction to the note left by the elves left me with mixed feelings; I liked their enthusiastic reception to the activities suggested by the elves but wondered why they never questioned who or where were the elves who left the note every single day. Ah well, kids will enjoy the story regardless.

The vocabulary is quite easy and will work well for bedtime readalouds too, especially because of the little notes written by the elves infusing the story with wonder.

The illustrations are quite striking, though I wanted the elves to look more magical. The vivid colours ought to work wonderfully in the physical copy.

This is supposed to be the first of a trilogy, but I found the story quite complete in itself. There’s no clue about what direction the series will take as there’s no thread left hanging. Time will tell what magic is to be unfurled in the next.

A good read for its target age group of 3+ years.

My thanks to eWonderment, LLC and NetGalley for the DRC of “Festival of the Elves ~ The Magic Around You”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Comments

Post a Comment

Explore more posts from this blog:

Stormy Normy Finds His Forever Home - Leisa Fail - ★★★.½

-
Image
AUTHOR: Leisa Fail SERIES: The Adventures of Stormy Normy, #1 GENRE: Children's Fiction, Animals. PUBLICATION DATE: March 25, 2024 RATING: 3.5 stars In a Nutshell: A children’s chapter book about a young brumby horse named Stormy Normy. The author certainly knows horses! Recommended to young animal lovers looking for a sweet and easy-going story. Plot Preview: Outback Queensland, Australia. Young Stormy Normy was born, as his name suggests, on a stormy night. As his mother and he are returning to their herd, Stormy gets distracted and enters a farm with many horses. His mother, realising that he will have a better life there than in the wild pack, leaves him there with a heavy heart. Thus begins Stormy’s life, where he learns to navigate tricky situations, make new friends, and realises whom and how to trust. The story is written in Stormy’s first person perspective, with two brief interludes from his mother’s point of view in third person. I am not really a horse person, being
Read More»

Big Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales - Catherine Cawthorne - ★★★★★

-
Image
AUTHOR: Catherine Cawthorne ILLUSTRATOR: Sara Ogilvie GENRE: Children's Nonfiction PUBLICATION DATE: April 25, 2024 RATING: 5 sparkly, scientifically accurate stars. In a Nutshell: This book and I were a match made in book heaven! Loved the approach that combines humour and logic to debunk the sillier elements of some fairy tales. Strongly recommended! I enjoy fairy tales. I love scientific thinking. I adore logic. I relish humour. Seeing all four of these together in a single work was almost a “bookgasmic” moment for me! 😆 Had the book not delivered on any of these factors, I might still have been happy reading it. But the content not only reaches but also surpasses the promise made by the title and cover. All of us know that there are several logically impossible elements in fairy tales. In childhood, we might have oohed and awwwed at the stories without overthinking the practicalities. In adulthood, we might have cringed at the gender bias, wealth bias, and the lack of conse
Read More»

Takeout Sushi - Christopher Green - ★★★★

-
Image
  AUTHOR: Christopher Green GENRE: Contemporary Short Story Collection, Japanese Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE:  May 2, 2024 RATING: 3.9  stars. In a Nutshell: An interesting collection of stories, with most of them set in Japan. Loved the writing style and enjoyed the diverse emotions. Much recommended! This story collection has, as the title suggests, a strong Japanese flavour. So let me begin by confessing that I am not a fan of Japanese literature. Most Japanese fiction that I tried hasn’t suited my reading tastes, so I generally keep away from this genre. The reason I picked this collection up is... No, no, the sushi had no role to play in my decision; I can’t stand even the thought of sushi! The reason I wanted to read this is that the author is NOT a Japanese! 😁 I know this sounds quite silly to declare, but had the author been Japanese, I would have resisted opting for this. But by virtue of his being an “outsider”, I thought it was a great opportunity to get a look at Japan witho
Read More»

Making Up the Gods - Marion Agnew - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Marion Agnew GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2023 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An indie drama with some quirky characters and a great setting in Lake Superior, Canada. Mellow in tone, genuine in content, thought-provoking in themes. I enjoyed this unusual novel. Plot Preview: Simone, almost 70, is a retired widow who lives an isolated life in her cottage on the banks of Lake Superior and still misses her husband, though he’s been dead for five years. While she is now active in her local church and finds solace in baking for those grieving, she is fiercely protective of her privacy. But when the local reverend asks her to take care of nine-year-old Chen while his widowed mother goes on a much-needed trip, Simone finds it tough to refuse a fellow-mourning widow. Just before Chen arrives, a stranger named Martin knocks at Simone’s door, claiming to be her cousin. Simone is suddenly handling two strangers at once, and she worries that they will dis
Read More»

Red Runs the Witch's Thread - Victoria Williamson - ★★★★

-
Image
  AUTHOR: Victoria Williamson GENRE: Historical Fiction, Horror. RATING:  4 stars. In a Nutshell: A psychological horror inspired by the last witch burning in Scotland in 1697. A disturbing yet compelling read. I wanted more closure at the end for my own peace of mind, but other than that, this was a satisfying book. Recommended! Plot Preview: 1722. Paisley, Scotland. Thirty-seven-year-old widow Christian Shaw is obsessed with perfecting her thread bleaching process. She wants to make the thread the purest white, so it can sell better and restore their family fortunes. In the absence of any male family members, it is up to her as the eldest daughter to ensure the security of their house, her mother and two younger sisters, and her late father’s social position as the laird (landowner.)  However, Christian’s mind is troubled. With the 25th anniversary of the witch burnings of 1697 approaching, Christian’s thoughts go frequently to the past, and to the role she played in the burning of s
Read More»