Kudzu for Christmas

PreS-Gr 2—In the fall, two little boys are frightened by the shadows and sounds of the kudzu-covered plants in their yard until their mom helps them find comforting and familiar dinosaur shapes in the vines. Discovering these hidden creatures becomes a game they share with their friends, almost magically making long car rides short and stopping fights. When winter comes and the plants die, the boys mournfully wish for more for Christmas. Readers are let in on the secret that the boys will soon find kudzu ornaments hanging on the Christmas tree. This book feels like a love letter to the vine. It's problematic that the definition of kudzu included in the front matter is overly simplistic and that the plant's parasitic nature is quickly glossed over by the mother in the text. The digital illustrations are pedestrian at best. While the game of searching for shapes in the vines might appeal to some children, other books have covered this ground much more effectively.