Christmas Classics

November 15, 2010

Christmas figures little in comics compared with its prominence in the national psyche. Happily, we can warmly welcome this artful and colorful anthology, offering surprises as well as favorites. The two must-haves are here: Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (source of the spooky cover illustration) and Clement Clarke Moore's poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas." Among the surprises are Christmas-themed stories from O. Henry, Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Arthur Conan Doyle. (Who remembers that a Sherlock Holmes adventure is, in fact, set during the holidays?) Genres span detective, Western, romance, fantasy, and funny animals, while drawing styles range equally widely with all entirely appealing and appropriate in regard to the selection. I have rarely seen an anthology with equal success for all contributions, and this one meets that standard. My personal favorite: the Cather tale, with a cast of multihued people and animals in modernistic, stylish exuberance. VERDICT Some may lament the lack of Bible stories here, but there are Bible comics aplenty, and these adaptations break much new ground. This appetizing and many-flavored holiday meal is highly recommended for tweens through adults in all libraries.--M.C.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2010
Grades 7-12 Eight traditional British and American pieces are well interpreted in comics form here. Florence Cestac adds twenty-first-century cartoon figures to Clement C. Moores poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, while Cynthia Martin draws an O. Henry story with expressions and costuming of the original writers period. Rick Geary is a spot-on choice to draw Fitz-James OBriens The Wondersmith, one of several pieces editor Pomplun himself adapted for this volume. The variety of art styles and solid selection choices make this entry in the Graphic Classics line essential for collections that include holiday books for teens and adults.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)