Christmas Parade
(Kids Holiday)

If it's true that everybody loves a parade, then why not have one at Christmastime? In Boynton's latest venture, a piglet hears the following noise outside his window: BOOM biddy BOOM biddy BOOM BOOM BOOM! It's the sound of the Christmas parade marching down the street, led by a bass-playing elephant in full-on band regalia. On each colorful spread, a new animal and new instrument is introduced, from silver-bassoon-blowing chickens to a drummer cat. Then there's a pause in the action before more animals enter, this time by numbers: one Santa rhino (sans beard), two cow saxophonists, three mice flautists, and four trombone-playing ducks. Little ones will appreciate the bouncy rhyming text, the large-type sound effects, and the charismatic cast and they may even learn to differentiate a trombone from a tuba. The long, narrow pages allow the parade to tromp gaily across the pages, and the ending plays up the Christmas theme nicely with the motley crew caroling at pig's door. Bring on the seasonal cheer.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist

The pigs, chickens, cows, rhinos, and other animals familiar to Boynton's many fans join forces to celebrate Christmas-loudly. "First comes the elephant marching along/ with a boom-biddy boom-biddy steady and strong," writes the author as a serious-looking pachyderm in a green marching band uniform leads the charge. It's followed by "chickens with silver bassoons," holly-tossing reindeer, a rhinoceros Santa, and more. Boynton's sense of humor is less evident in this offering than in many of her other titles, but the book's enthusiastic verse and crisp artwork are as in step as her corps of hippos on drums. Ages 3-6. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 2-Boynton presents a wild and woolly parade of creatures, all performing for a bunny-slipper-shod piggy. All the usual suspects are there: chickens with bassoons, piggies with balloons, a plethora of drumming hippos, Santa (as portrayed by a trumpet-wielding rhino), and much, much more. They march to a lively beat, straight to the little piggy's house to wish him Merry Christmas. Hand out the musical instruments, line up the kids, and get ready for a noisy holiday celebration! A fabulously fun addition.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This is one of those rare occasions where the board book edition is an improvement on the (beloved) original picture book (rev. 11/12). Boynton has selectively collapsed and expanded spreads, tweaked color schemes, reversed the band's direction so they're marching left to right, made slight text enhancements (including using numerals), added a second pig child protagonist watching the parade pass their house, and appended a new final bedtime spread. All her trademarks remain, including a range of animal musicians, plenty of humor, a dynamic array of fonts, and pleasing read-aloud-ready sound effects ("BOOM-biddy BOOM!"). A Christmas parade worth watching and listening to all year long. Cynthia K. Ritter November/December 2020 p.32(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Boynton's droll animal characters march through this small volume with their usual deadpan humor, set off by her minimalist rhyming text. A little pig watches the parade out his window, starting with a fierce-looking elephant drum major. There are chickens with bassoons, pigs with balloons, hippos with drums, and on and on, down to a tiny bird with a huge sousaphone. When the parade is over, the narrator pig is surprised by a knock on the door, followed by cheery Christmas greetings from the entire band. The text has a strong rhythm befitting a musical theme, and special sound effects are indicated by larger display type. The animals naturally have the signature hilarious expressions that Boynton does so well, and they wear a variety of snappy band uniforms. Santa appears in the parade, of course, as a rhino in a furry, red costume playing a tiny trumpet. Younger children will learn the names of the instruments the animals play, and any adult readers who are marching-band alums will enjoy pointing out their favorite musical instruments. Boynton's buoyant text and comical characters march to their own inimitable drummer. (Picture book. 2-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

If it's true that everybody loves a parade, then why not have one at Christmastime? In Boynton's latest venture, a piglet hears the following noise outside his window: "BOOM biddy BOOM biddy BOOM BOOM BOOM!" It's the sound of the Christmas parade marching down the street, led by a bass-playing elephant in full-on band regalia. On each colorful spread, a new animal—and new instrument—is introduced, from silver-bassoon-blowing chickens to a drummer cat. Then there's a pause in the action before more animals enter, this time by numbers: one Santa rhino (sans beard), two cow saxophonists, three mice flautists, and four trombone-playing ducks. Little ones will appreciate the bouncy rhyming text, the large-type sound effects, and the charismatic cast—and they may even learn to differentiate a trombone from a tuba. The long, narrow pages allow the parade to tromp gaily across the pages, and the ending plays up the Christmas theme nicely with the motley crew caroling at pig's door. Bring on the seasonal cheer. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

The pigs, chickens, cows, rhinos, and other animals familiar to Boynton's many fans join forces to celebrate Christmas—loudly. "First comes the elephant marching along/ with a boom-biddy boom-biddy steady and strong," writes the author as a serious-looking pachyderm in a green marching band uniform leads the charge. It's followed by "chickens with silver bassoons," holly-tossing reindeer, a rhinoceros Santa, and more. Boynton's sense of humor is less evident in this offering than in many of her other titles, but the book's enthusiastic verse and crisp artwork are as in step as her corps of hippos on drums. Ages 3–6. (Oct.)

PreS-Gr 2—Boynton presents a wild and woolly parade of creatures, all performing for a bunny-slipper-shod piggy. All the usual suspects are there: chickens with bassoons, piggies with balloons, a plethora of drumming hippos, Santa (as portrayed by a trumpet-wielding rhino), and much, much more. They march to a lively beat, straight to the little piggy's house to wish him Merry Christmas. Hand out the musical instruments, line up the kids, and get ready for a noisy holiday celebration! A fabulously fun addition.—Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library