The Christmassy Cactus
by Beth Ferry; illus. by A. N. Kang
Preschool, Primary    Harper/HarperCollins    40 pp.
9/23    9780063039643    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780063334342    $10.99

Christmas trees get all the attention—why shouldn’t cacti get their own tinsel? Ferry inspires empathy for protagonist Tiny Cactus through a mutually adoring relationship between the plant and her young owner. Amid Tiny Cactus’s holiday wishes for her own trimmings, the text’s simple, vivid descriptors evoke the infectious bustle of holiday traditions: “Shimmering things. Sparkling things. Twinkling, tinseling, transforming things.” Kang further personifies the cactus with blushing cheeks and a determined, eager smile. Shown on creamy, off-white pages, the reds and greens of Christmas decor within this family’s pink-hued household increase the coziness.

From the November/December 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.