Christmas is Here! is here

New releases

Christmas is Here!, the new kiddie book that’s part of the Ready-to-Read line (and not to be confused with the recently-released sound-button book Christmas Time is Here!), is a bit of a lie. None of the book takes place actually on Christmas, it’s all set on Christmas Eve. But then, come to think of it, the same thing is true of A Charlie Brown Christmas, it’s set on Christmas Eve at the latest. They don’t even give the actual performance of the Christmas pageant they’re putting on, it’s all at rehearsal.

I know, “picky picky.”

Overall, I like this book. The bulk of it is on Snoopy trying to entertain Woodstock, find ways to have fun together as Christmas impends. Writer Ximana Hastings keeps things well in tone. (The art is by Robert Pope, who of course I always like.) The ending is, well, a pro-social message ending that doesn’t make me happy – spoilers here – Snoopy realizes that he and Woodstock have to go and get together with the kids, for “Christmas Eve… is not the same without everybody together.” That doesn’t sound like something that Snoopy would believe – when he chooses to entertain himself with a group, it’s bunnies or birdies, not humans – nor something that I believe. (There’s nothing wrong with being the sort of person who loves to be in the whole group. There’s also nothing wrong with being the sort of person who prefers a quieter, more intimate time with just one or two key people… or even with being a loner who is happier in the calmness of solace.) But then this Ready-to-Read Level Two book isn’t intended for me with my mumblety-mumble years on my odometer.

The book, at least the paperback version, does come stickers in the back… a dozen good humorous image of the Peanuts characters in Christmas scenes, and then just enough stars (some with things like “I Like to Read” written on them) to make the cover statement of “includes more than 30 stickers” to be truthful.

An example sticker from Christmas is Here!
Classic finds
English Phrases to Comfort Your Heart

The next book in my Amazon Japan shipment falls into the adorable category of “Peanuts used to explain American culture”. English Phrases to Comfort Your Heart with Snoopy by Nobu Yamada falls into that category. It also falls into the category of “books which are meant to be destroyed”, as each …

New releases
Look! A mook!

Mooks – that is, items with magazine-like content but sold more like a book – are popular in Japan. Many of them come bundled with extra items, and there have been a fair number with Peanuts items. Most often these are bags – a handbag or a tote of some …

New releases
Bringing up the rear

I’m interrupting my coverage of the shipment of books I got from Japan to cover another foreign book that just arrived. Now, I don’t try to collect every foreign Peanuts book. My collection is out of control as it is. I try to find books in languages that I don’t …