Selfie the Elfie

September 1, 2019
A selfie-obsessed elf saves Christmas. Sophie the elf (who appears white with light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes; some other elves have brown skin, though most look like her though with significantly less-voluminous hair) just loves taking pictures on her "camera phone." In fact, she loves taking pictures so much that she starts to annoy others with her frequent selfies, and she neglects her assigned job of "tying bows on every present that was stuffed into Santa's sleigh." Santa isn't pleased to notice "piles of presents without any bows," but fortunately Sophie quickly catches up on her duties. Unfortunately, Santa can't find his suit when it's time for him to get into his sleigh; it was mislaid when Sophie's bow-tying negligence distracted him. All's well that ends well when Sophie sees a photo of the suit on her phone and directs Santa to its location under a Christmas tree. Why no one could see it in the actual room is unclear, and this is just one piece of the storytelling that's rather lackluster. Illustrations, too, leave something to be desired, with a cartoon aesthetic that seems at once stiff and oddly disproportionate and a palette that inexplicably colors the reindeer blue. Ho, ho hum. (Picture book. 4-7)

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