FICTION

An Orangutan's Night Before Christmas

by Laura BOLDIN-FOURNIER
illus. by Stan Jaskiel. 32p. Pelican. Oct. 2016. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781455621545.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—As the zookeeper decorates for Christmas, he is shocked to see a zebra-drawn sleigh "with a husky old driver, a sizable shape,/He'd know in a moment it was a big ape./…. Landing on top of the souvenir shop." Oranga Claus, Santa's Zoo Helper, has come to give presents to all of the animals and the keeper, too. The meter and phrasing are awkward as the author shoehorns her story into the Clement C. Moore rhyme scheme. Garish, cartoony illustrations set a playful, if dated, tone.
VERDICT This is more suited to a zoo gift shop purchase than to libraries. Luckily there are abundant versions of the holiday favorite available.
Reviewed by Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library , Oct 01, 2016

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