A Charlie Brown Christmas
For some reason that I haven’t been able to identify, this was not one of my little one’s favorites.
I speculate it’s because, or at least related to, the story itself. Though the illustrations could play a role. The illustrations are very Charlie-Brown-like, a cartoon but drawn realistically, and looks just like the cartoon strip or the TV special would. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, and it seemed like the illustrations were engaging enough - though there isn’t a lot of action or movement in them which would make the pictures more engaging. There are several characters from the Peanuts gang usually present which makes it difficult for a little one to hone in on one and connect emotionally. Their faces are also less emotionally engaging than other drawing styles. But still, it is a style that has lasted decades with a lot of success.
The story though is a bit boring for the littler side of who I would call a little one, with the story just describing a day in the life of the Peanuts gang and that seemed to be the main issue for us. The stories that are simply descriptive of a day in the life of a main character or two are usually the stories that are good reads once or twice but not engaging in a way that my little one wants them read over and over.
The book is the same as the TV special, so that could make it more or less interesting depending on the child and whether or not he or she has seen the special.
Cautions: I did notice reading through this time that Charlie Brown is very negative and unhappy and a parent might want to talk about that with a little one that hears the story. Other than that, this is a classic story that has been read a many, many times and there’s nothing that I see to be concerned about!
