3 out of 4 stars
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The Mighty Blue Saves Christmas is a short picture book written by M.A. Baer and illustrated by Marita Gentry. The book is about Mike, a man living in the Last Frontier, also known as Alaska. Early one morning, Mike finds a cute little surprise outside his front door. Blue, a fluffy, white kitten quickly steals Mike’s heart. Unable to part with his new friend, Mike decides to bring Blue along for a dogsled ride. Mike is in for a shock when Blue takes over and begins pulling Mike and his sled by himself! Blue is on a mission to help his old friend, Santa, make his Christmas rounds.
The story of Mike and Blue and their unlikely friendship is heartwarming and easy to follow along with. There are some magical elements in the book that young readers will enjoy, and there are even instances of informative topics about Alaskan culture which will no doubt spark conversation between children and adults. However, the main characters are an older man and a kitten. Although children will have no trouble falling in love with Blue, the kitten, the adult protagonist, Mike, may fail to grasp the attention of younger readers.
The illustrator did a wonderful job capturing the essence of the Christmas spirit within the illustrations. The colors used are eye-catching and give the images a magical and ethereal appearance. The characters are drawn in a fairly realistic manner, making the illustrations seem appropriate for readers young and old. In addition, there is just enough detail in the full-page images to hold one’s attention and keep the reader lingering on the images long after they have read the associated narrative on the page.
There are a few downsides to this children’s tale. The font choice is incredibly small. Although this works to prevent distraction from the beautiful illustrations, it can be hard to read the words in places. Also, the small print does not invite a child to try to read along. In fact, the minute font may prevent the adult reader from properly showcasing the pictures as they read the story aloud to an audience because the book must be held rather close to one’s face to actually see the fine print. Lastly, this book would benefit from thorough editing. There were a few instances of run-on sentences and misplaced commas, and even a missing word on one occasion. However, these errors were not overly distracting.
The illustrations alone warrant a high rating; however, the unfortunate font choice and the need for additional editing led to the subtraction of one star, leaving The Mighty Blue Saves Christmas with a final rating of 3 out of 4 stars. Those who revel in Christmas stories and enjoy beautiful illustrations will find this book appealing. This book is appropriate for all ages, but very early readers may need assistance understanding some vocabulary used in the book.
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The Mighty Blue Saves Christmas
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v.good book
