*I received a free copy of this book. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
In this book that you hold, a true story unfolds,
Of a Christmas not too long ago.
Where I’m lead to believe, on a cold Christmas eve,
Three Siblings played out in the snow.
As all children do, when the snow bustles through,
They built an acquaintance to scale.
But not a snow man, as suggested by Dan,
They built a snow queen, Elaine Gale
And they started to tell, how she’d cast an old spell,
For every child to be cruel.
For if no names exist, on Santa’s nice list,
There would be no Christmas at all.
But little did they know, as they played in the snow,
Before the night was through.
That story they told, would find life in the cold.
And every word would come true.
We love The Christmas Tale of Elaine Gale!
It’s a zany rhyming caper reminiscent of both Roald Dahl and Dr Seuss, both firm favourites in this house.
I felt Minishine was a bit too young to fully appreciate the book, aged 5, as she didn’t really ‘get’ the plot fully and needed the text to be broken up over a few days storytime. However she reported that she found the pictures and story funny and liked ‘the tumpty tumpty sound the words made’; a compliment to the rhythm of the prose, I believe.
Baby Bows, aged not-quite-2, also liked the rhythm, rhyme and pictures, so I can see this being a Christmas staple for many years to come, rivalling The Grinch!
As an adult I found the book entertaining too. I much admired Claire’s spunky attitude and leadership skills, and although I tsked slightly at the small jabs at Dan and Ben, I recognised the voice of sibling banter and so turned a blind parental eye to that minor quibble.
I will definitely be buying multiple copies of this book as a Christmas gift for the children in my friend and family circle aged 6-12 or thereabouts who have a sense of humour. I think it would go down especially well paired with a water pistol!
Before we start, dear faint of heart, I give you warning fair.
For in this rhyme, from time to time, you might get quite a scare.
This Christmas story, gets quite gory, so if you are the type,
To squeal and squirm at bugs and worms, it’s one you may not like.
But if you wish, if you insist, I’ll tell a tale I know,
Of an evil queen, who’s very mean, and entirely made of snow.– Daniel Thompson, The Christmas Tale of Elaine Gale
You can find out more on the Christmas Tale of Elaine Gale website here or by following their Facebook page.
You can follow the author, Daniel Thompson, on Twitter here.
Bookshine And Readbows 