Candy Cane Lane - Hardcover

Santoro, Scott

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 148145661X ISBN 13: 9781481456616

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016

Synopsis

A group of misfit holiday decorations come vividly to life as they try to make their way home for the holidays in this enchanting and heartwarming picture book from Scott Santoro.

The houses on Candy Cane Lane have some of the most spectacular holiday decorations around, so when a winter storm hits and damages some of the festive lawn ornaments, the residents simply can’t allow the broken figures to ruin their prized displays. Many end up in the trash, including a scuffed choirboy who is sure he’ll never have a chance to bring holiday cheer to the lane again. That is, until a little girl in the only undecorated house on the block saves him and gives him a special spot on her lawn.

But when a misunderstanding the next morning sends the choirboy off to the dump, he’ll have to team up with a plucky group of other discarded lawn ornaments to find his way back to the little girl and the one place everyone wants to be during the holiday season—home.

With classic holiday spirit and illustrations as merry and bright as any holiday display, Scott Santoro brings Candy Cane Lane to life for readers of all ages.

About this title

About the Author

Scott Santoro is the author and illustrator of Which Way to Witch School?, Farm-Fresh Cats, The Little Skyscraper, and Isaac the Ice Cream Truck. He has worked on many animated feature films including The Lion King, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and Gnomeo and Juliet.

Reviews

K-Gr 2—Too poor to afford the expensive lawn ornaments, a little girl who lives in the only undecorated house on Candy Cane Lane wishes for just one tchotchke to help celebrate the season. Her wish seems to be granted when a blizzard blows a scuffed and battered plastic choirboy her way, but when her well-meaning father throws him in the trash, what follows is a homage to the Rankin/Bass production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his journey to the Island of Misfit Toys. In the dump, the choirboy comes to life, meets other abandoned lawn figures, and begins a journey back to the little girl, making friends with other rejected holiday ornaments and giant mascots along the way. This is a quirky Christmas story to be sure, and it's nice to see a tale that centers on a family dealing with financial struggle during the holiday season but doesn't revolve around gift giving. Retro, cartoony, and digitally enhanced illustrations complement the narrative, but the characters and foreground elements sometimes feel stylistically inconsistent between spreads. VERDICT An additional purchase for libraries looking for more contemporary Christmas selections.—Brooke Sheets, Los Angeles Public Library

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 148145661X
• ISBN 13: 9781481456616
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Santoro Scott
• Number of pages: 48