I Don't Celebrate Anything!

by Donna Neumann, Alexandra Rusu (Illustrator)

Overview

It's the holiday season and everyone is celebrating. Everyone except Annie. She's seen her friends' funny looks and heard their whispers behind her back:

"Annie doesn't celebrate anything."

"Not Christmas, not Hanukkah. Nothing."

"No presents at all."

"No presents? On purpose?"

"Her family is so weird."

It isn't Annie's fault her family doesn't celebrate any holiday. But are her friends right? Is her family weird?

I Don't Celebrate Anything! is the perfect book for helping non religious children understand holidays, through the story of a family of porcupines. Fully illustrated with fun artwork and a message of caring, this children's book is the perfect holiday read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781953910158
Publisher:	Donna Neumann
Publication date:	11/18/2020
Series:	Annie the Porcupine , #1
Pages:	56
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.31(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 12 Years

Editorial Reviews

2022-01-19
In this picture book, it’s hard to be a little porcupine who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa.

In the yellow light of a chilly morning, Annie worries about the last day of school before winter break. On the ride to school, just as she has dreaded, Annie’s friend Maggie asks about her Christmas tree. Annie doesn’t have one because she doesn’t observe the holiday. Scowling a little, she explains. But throughout the day, kids chatter about Hanukkah, letters to Santa, and Christmas tunes, and the holiday zeal becomes oppressive. The students’ cheerful assumptions grate, and Annie feels lonely, without presents to talk about or holiday spirit. With solitude comes anger. After an outburst, she feels lingering anxiety: Is her porcupine family weird? It’s only when she is at Grandma and Grandpa’s house in the woods with a roaring fire, carrot cake, and moonlit snow that she appreciates that even without holidays, her family spends important quality time together. Neumann’s work is a little long for lap readers—though perhaps it will spark discussions with elementary school students. Still, Annie’s story is likely to resonate with kids who feel upset and frustrated by the centrality and omnipresence of holiday celebrations in social life. Rusu’s lively, warm-toned watercolors and energetic scratchy lines buoy a narrative unafraid of affirming children’s understandable anger at their experiences not being recognized—though the effect of Annie’s bad mood on her peers remains unexplored.

This engaging animal tale affirms that meaningful experiences exist outside holiday festivities.

Kirkus Reviews