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A Wish for Elves

by Mark Gonyea
40p. 978-0-80508-814-4.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—Gonyea, a graphic designer, tries his hand at a very simple Christmas story—with mixed success. The simplified comic layout and the nearly wordless text show what happens when a boy wishes he had elves to help with his Christmas chores. All too soon, his "Woo Hoo!" reaction turns to "Oh no!" as the elves cause more trouble than they're worth and prove to be hard to get rid of. In the meantime, Santa is overworked, trying to get Christmas under control, and wishes he had his elves back. Vibrant, modern blocks of flat red, green, yellow, black, and white are at times visually compelling but more often, confusingly cluttered.—Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library
Schlepping gifts, untangling lights, and shoveling snow dampen the main character's Christmas spirit. "Life would be easier if I had elves," he muses, and the next day, Santa's little helpers arrive. Just a few speech bubbles make up the text, while enormously amusing cartoon panel illustrations in crisp Christmas colors show the little buggers making general nuisances of themselves.
Reviewed by Anne Connor , Oct 01, 2010

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