Jonathan Fenske<\/a>
Little Simon
9 September 2025
40\u00a0pages<\/p>\nRyan\u2019s Review of the Writing<\/strong><\/p>\nCandy Corn Christmas!<\/em> has a playful premise: the candy corn left behind after Halloween get tired of waiting in their pumpkin pail and wander straight into Christmas. That jump is the book\u2019s best move. The candy corn feel like kids discovering a holiday for the first time, bouncing from tree to stockings to eggnog with total confidence and zero understanding of boundaries. That sense of mischief gives the book oomph. The pacing stays quick, almost episodic, which works well for a story built on discovery\u2014it keeps kids moving right along with the candy\u00a0corn.<\/p>\nThe art does most of the heavy lifting, and Fenske\u2019s illustrations are lively and fun. The spreads are busy in the best way, full of tiny jokes and expressive candy faces that kids will spot right away. When the candy corn zip across ornaments or dunk themselves in nog, the pages pop. I\u2019ll let Edna talk far more concretely about the art, but to my eye? The whole visual world feels loose, bright, and energetic. There\u2019s also an easy, chatty confidence to the narration that helps the candy corn feel like a little chorus of eager kids, which gives the book a friendly, accessible voice from page\u00a0one.<\/p>\n
The emotional moment arrives when a candy cane tries to shove them back to \u201ctheir\u201d holiday. It\u2019s clear, simple conflict that sets up Santa\u2019s entrance. Santa\u2019s brief mix-\u200bup and quick course-\u200bcorrect land well, and the ending settles into a cheerful, everyone-\u200bbelongs kind of holiday note without overworking the message. Kids will instantly recognize the moment when someone says, \u201cYou don\u2019t belong here,\u201d so the book\u2019s turn toward welcome lands in a way little readers can feel even before the text explains it.<\/p>\n
The book\u2019s rhyme has enthusiasm, and Fenske hits those end rhymes with confidence. The rhythm getting there wobbles now and then, though, in a way adults will hear but still remain fun for kids. It\u2019s charming in its own loose, bouncy way even if the scansion isn\u2019t fully locked in.<\/p>\n
Overall, the idea is cute, the art is genuinely fun, and kids will enjoy the candy-\u200bcorn-\u200bchaos of it all. The visuals and the concept pull readers through with plenty of good-\u200bnatured holiday energy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Candy Corn ChristmasAuthor: Jonathan FenskeIllustrator: Jonathan FenskeLittle Simon9 September 202540\u00a0pages Ryan\u2019s Review of the Writing Candy Corn Christmas! has a playful premise: the candy corn left behind after Halloween get tired of waiting in their pumpkin pail and wander straight into Christmas. That jump is the book\u2019s best move. The candy corn feel like kids […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[163532,163533,120517,119865],"tags":[2268,1240,336,2347,163534,7333,3893,3749],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-339181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-edna-cabcabin-moran","category-jonathan-fenske","category-picture-book-reviews","category-ryan-g-van-cleave","tag-book","tag-candy","tag-christmas","tag-corn","tag-fenske","tag-jonathan","tag-picture","tag-review"],"yoast_head":"\n
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