Review sponsored* by Vista Clara Productions
The Children’s Book Review | October 17, 2015
Written by Derek Velez Partridge and Mary Packard
Illustrated by David Wenzel
Age Range: 6-9
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Vista Clara Productions
ISBN: 978-0692467176
What to expect: Christmas, Santa, Elves, Magic, Good vs. Evil, Consumerism
Children are always curious, but that curiosity intensifies around Christmas time: where is the North Pole? Why does Santa live there? Who else is there? How does Santa make so many presents? The Book of Kringle: Legend of the North Pole, by Derek Velez Partridge and Mary Packard, beautifully illustrated by David Wenzel, answers some of those questions in an imaginative world of magic and elves and good and evil.
Manusol, an elf who lives at the snowy North Pole, is our narrator and guide. “It’s difficult to tell you what the North Pole is, so I’ll tell you what it’s not. It’s not a pole at all. It’s a magical crystal mountain, where long ago, reindeer learned to fly and Santa Claus first rode his sleigh across the sky.” It’s also where acts of kindness from a caring heart give off a spark that travels to the North Pole. The illustrations vividly and lushly build the magical North Pole, in rich hues of blue, gold, and dark red.
Unfortunately for the happy elves, the North Pole is ruled by a powerful greedy king, who doesn’t like happy sounds. The King exiles them to the mines to dig for crystals, which he’ll add to his fortune. The King has a brother, Kris Kringle, who is his exact opposite. While Kris’ heart fills with joy when he sees good deeds spark the air, the king imagines they’ll soon turn into crystals and make him richer. As you can tell, the beating heart of the book is the tension between the spirit of Christmas and the frenetic, delirious consumerism of Christmas.
The elves manage to get the day off for Christmas. One of the elves finds a perfect crystal star for the Christmas tree, which glows only when held by a pure, bright soul. The elves join hands and the star sparkles with light and suddenly they hear a loud Ho Ho Ho! The greedy King hears it, too, and hurries to Kringle Square to squash the commotion. He grabs the star, but, of course, it doesn’t shine. Enraged, he announces there will be no more Christmas. A year goes by and it’s Christmas time again. Magically, Ho Ho Ho rings out!
Children who enjoy the tension between good and evil (ie, superheroes and bad guys), and are intensely curious about Santa will be the ones to most enjoy The Book of Kringle. They will still have questions, though: how does the star have power? What if the King comes back? How do the reindeer learn to fly? Children will clamor for Book of Kringle, Part II, and perhaps the authors will oblige.
Add this book to your collection: The Book of Kringle: Legend of the North Pole
Available Here:
For more information, visit: TheBookOfKringle.com
About the Authors
Author Derek Velez Partridge is a Writer/director/producer of features films such as A Miracle in Spanish Harlem. Most recently Derek has ventured into children’s books. He is the author of The Book of Kringle: Legend of the North Pole; an adventure story that shares the origins of the North Pole and Kris Kringle becoming Santa Claus.
This book was written with the help of noted Children’s author Mary Packard, who’s known for Winnie the Pooh, Little Bear and many other children titles.
About the Illustrator
The Book of Kringle was illustrated by famed David T. Wenzel, who is known for many holiday titles like “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer” but is best known for his illustrations on “The Hobbit”.
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. The publisher of “The Book of Kringle: Legend of the North Pole” sponsored* this non-biased review. Learn more about getting a book review …