The Broken Ornament

September 1, 2018
Jack needs some magic to help make this year's Christmas the best ever.Shiny, red-foil borders and embossed lettering on the cover invite readers into a suburban household of the mid-20th century. On Christmas Eve, Jack is dissatisfied with the decorating job that he and his parents have done. He finds one last ornament, but his mother says in alarm, "Not that one!" Jack accidentally breaks it, leaving his mother in tears. A tiny fairy called Tinsel appears with tinkly bells to help Jack fulfill his wish. Saying, "let's deck these halls!" Tinsel tosses glitter, and a large tree bursts through the floor. Caroling elves burst through the door, followed by reindeer, nutcrackers, and snowmen. Double-page-spread illustrations show the house filled with holiday fun. (Children will wonder why Jack's parents don't seem to notice it, though.) Jack can't get enough of the magic, but remembering the broken ornament, he asks Tinsel for help. She can't give him a new ornament but does offer him a glimpse of his mother's past that helps Jack understand his mother's heartbreak and see a way to make amends. Slightly overlong landscape design, old-fashioned furnishings, and endpapers filled with ornaments give this a feeling of personal reminiscence. Jack, his parents, Tinsel, and two of the elves present white, but the third elf has brown skin.A delightful if somewhat disjointed story of "Christmas magic" working its charms on a family. (Picture book. 4-7)

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September 24, 2018
There’s no missing the timeless message of this tale by DiTerlizzi (The Spider and the Fly). On Christmas Eve, Jack’s requests for additional decorations and a bigger tree (“Santa needs more room underneath to leave us more presents!”) are scuttled by his parents, who look on in horror as Jack plucks a striped ball from an old box—an antique ornament that drops from its hook and shatters. After his parents sorrowfully retreat upstairs, an elfin fairy named Tinsel appears and grants, with over-the-top embellishment, Jack’s wish for “the best Christmas ever!” Though nutcrackers, reindeer, and snowmen parade through the door, and snow-covered trees burst through the floor, Jack demands “More! More!” But he realizes that something’s missing, and Tinsel shares a vision from the past: his mother’s grandmother giving her the ornament he broke. The author delivers a sound, easily relatable lesson about the perils of greed—and the essence of Christmas—as Jack devises a way to make amends in the story’s heartwarming finale. Ages 4–8.

September 15, 2018
Preschool-G In his desire to make this the best Christmas ever, Jack asks for a bigger tree with more room underneath for presents. But then he accidentally shatters a very special ornament, causing his mother to burst into tears. When Jack is alone with the shards, a tiny fairy named Tinsel appears in a swirl of shimmering frost. She magically tosses glitter for indoor snow and casts mistletoe so that trees sprout up through the floor. Her tinkly bells introduce a trio of strolling elves who parade inside along with a herd of reindeer, an army of nutcrackers, and a rowdy bunch of snowmen. Even though Jack's house is now the most Christmasy in the whole town, Tinsel can't repair the object he broke. However, when she shows him why it was special, Jack understands, and makes a unique new ornament for his mom. Illustrations in colored pencil and gouache create the crowded full-page scenes of the wild indoor hullabaloo, and show Jack's changing emotions as he learns about the true spirit of Christmas.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)