MerryTale (An Abrams Trail Tale): A Christmas Adventure

by Christopher Franceschelli, Allison Black (Illustrator)

Overview

This thrilling Christmas board book with pages to peek through and gatefolds to open is from Christopher Franceschelli—creator of the Abrams Block Book series. MerryTale is part of the Abrams Trail Tale series, which takes readers on unforgettable holiday-themed adventures.

In this Christmas story, follow two children on their way to Santa’s workshop as they travel through a city, into a gleaming forest, and across the glittering snowscape. Young readers will delight in the clever die-cut surprises throughout and the dramatic quadruple gatefold at the end that folds out into a special, festive surprise.

Featuring illustrations by Allison Black

“The images are charming, from the wide-eyed deer of the forest to busy elves in the workshop.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A fun presentation with wonderful artwork.” —School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419731549
Publisher:	Abrams Appleseed
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Series:	An Abrams Trail Tale
Pages:	54
Sales rank:	511,871
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 6.20(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Christopher Franceschelli is a seasoned publisher, editor, and creator of children’s books. He currently runs Chronicle’s Handprint imprint and the SmartInk packaging company. A born-and-raised New Yorker, Franceschelli lives with his family in Brooklyn. His books include the Hello City! Series and the Abrams Trail Tale series.

Allison Black is an illustrator and designer specializing in kid-friendly, colorful creations. She has illustrated more than 20 published books, with many more on the way. Black lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, two kids, two dogs, two guinea pigs, a cat, and countless fish. Her books include the Future Baby and Crunchy Board Books series.

Editorial Reviews

"The images are charming, from the wide-eyed deer of the forest to busy elves in the workshop."—Kirkus Reviews

"A fun presentation with wonderful artwork."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

09/01/2022

PreS—On Christmas Eve, two young Black children receive an invitation to visit Santa's Workshop. During the elf-led tour, the children visit the busy toy workshop before zipping down the peppermint slide—past two short-haired elves kissing under mistletoe, elves performing yoga, and a group of elves singing—to land in the wrapping room. The children then tiptoe through the elves' sleeping quarters on their way to the stable. There, they feed the animals before goodbyes are said and the children fly back to their home with Santa. In the quadruple gatefold at the end of the book, the children open their presents while Santa, flying away in his sleigh, wishes all a Merry Christmas. The cartoon artwork is sweet and colorful and features racially diverse elves. Readers who look closely will see an elf with what may be vitiligo, another in a wheelchair, and many with various hair colors, including blue and pink. The pages are so busy with illustrations that this title is akin to an "I Spy" book. The entire text is composed of one sentence, and though the words do change colors from one page to the next, they can be hard to follow through the multitude of gatefolds, flaps, and die-cuts. VERDICT A fun presentation with wonderful artwork. Recommended for gentle-handed users.—Sarah Sieg

School Library Journal

2022-08-17
This lift-the-page and -flap board book sees two children travel to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus on Christmas Eve.

After receiving an invitation, the children travel on a sled pulled by a husky through snowy forests and across the ice. After the tour of the famous toy workshop, they head home in Santa’s sleigh. The text plods along slowly, generally with only a phrase or one word on a two-page layout. This story is actually one very long sentence, with limited punctuation, which makes it very difficult to read aloud and doesn’t allow readers much time to observe each illustration and flap without losing the thread of the narrative. This is unfortunate given that the images are charming, from the wide-eyed deer of the forest to busy elves in the workshop. The differences between the scenes of the quiet, snowy journey and the bustling production line are a nice visual reminder that the holiday season can be both a serene and a busy time of year. Still, the art can’t quite make up for issues with the writing. The two featured children have brown skin and black hair, Santa Claus is brown-skinned while Mrs. Claus is light-skinned, and the elves vary in skin tone.

The text bogs down the otherwise engaging and cheerful illustrations. (Board book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews