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Reviewed by:
  • It's Christmas, David!
  • Elizabeth Bush
Shannon, David. It's Christmas, David!; written and illus. by David Shannon. Blue Sky/Scholastic, 2010. [32p.] ISBN 978-0-545-14311-0 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R 3-6 yrs.

The stern Santa torso looming over a broken tree ornament on the title page says it all—incorrigible David is undoubtedly on the Naughty, rather than the Nice, List. The run-up to Christmas day finds him ransacking a closet for hidden presents, playing with fragile ornaments, hurling a snowball through a neighbor's window, and suffering over a daintily plated salad while adult admonishments swirl around his head: "That's the wrong fork! … Put your napkin in your lap.… Get your elbows off the table!" Christmas morning tragically greets David with a bare tree, a lump of coal, and a letter from Santa concerning his giftless state—fortunately, though, that was only a stress dream, and his real morning wake-up call summons him to a living room full of presents and the cuddling arms of his long-suffering, [End Page 148] loving parents. Kids who are already invested in the David franchise will recognize a fair amount of recycled material here, from the precarious angle at which David tips from footstool to closet shelf (shades of the cookie raid in No, David!, BCCB 9/98), to the pee-writing in the snow that may emanate from David or his equally scampish terrier Fergus, to his regressively toddler-ish streaking down the street. While these repetitive details may cause a few parents to grumble about getting full bang for their holiday buck, kids will simply welcome well-loved gags festively rewrapped. Illustrations are vintage Shannon, drawing viewers into full spread close-ups of David's frenetic world, where his round, stubbly-haired head takes center stage, and scrawled hand-lettering ("No Peeking!") provides the exasperated adult soundtrack for the little guy's antics. Consciences troubled by a year's worth of misdeeds will sympathize and take heart.

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