Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Lost Christmas!

by Alastair Heim, Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Since October 12, 1957 the world has fallen deeply in love with ... the Grinch. The timeless tale has been cherished in print, on stage, on film and beyond. From the spectacular storytellers at Seussville comes the long-awaited follow up Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Lost Christmas! Celebrate the season with all the magic and heart we've come to cherish.

The Grinch is BACK and ready to prove to the residents of Who-ville that he's changed. This heartwarming sequel is written and illustrated in the style of Dr. Seuss's beloved holiday classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

The Grinch had been patiently waiting all year,
To celebrate Christmas and bring the Whos cheer,
And to show every Who he was DIFFERENT now.                         
“I’ve changed!” thought the Grinch,                                           
“And I’ll prove it! But HOW?” 

A year has passed since the Grinch stole Christmas from Who-ville. Now eager to prove to the Whos that his heart has grown to LOVE the holiday, the Grinch devises a plan to win Who-ville's Christmas Crown by making the largest, most spectacular Christmas tree the Whos have ever seen! 

But when things don't go as planned, the Grinch's heart turns ice cold, and he threatens to leave Who-ville for good...until one small, special Who reminds him that Christmas is NOT about winning.

Grow your heart three sizes MORE with this sequel to the timeless picture book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Featuring a foil-enhanced jacket and full-color illustrations rendered in the iconic style of the original, this new story makes a splendid gift and a must-have addition to the libraries of Grinch fans of all ages!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593563168
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Series:	Classic Seuss Series
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	3,437
Product dimensions:	11.10(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	670L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

ALASTAIR HEIM is the author of thirteen children’s picture books including Hello Door, which was named one of The New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2018, The Great Puppy Invasion, which won the 2019 Oklahoma Redbud Read-Aloud Award, and Quiet Down Loud Town!, which was named a 2021 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. He has also written three books for Dr. Seuss Beginner Books titled If I Had Your Vote, If I Ran Your School, and If I Were Saint Nick—all featuring The Cat in the Hat—as well as the board book I Am the Cat in the Hat. He lives in Kansas City with his wife and three incredible children.

New Jersey native and "constant doodler" ARISTIDES ("Art") RUIZ has illustrated over 100 books for children—among them 40+ books in the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library series. A versatile artist, he divides his time between illustrating for children and fine art painting.

Editorial Reviews

"A serviceable sequel and a cute Christmas story." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

09/01/2023

PreS-Gr 2—In this sequel to the Dr. Seuss classic, a year has passed, and the now-reformed Grinch wants to show the Whos just how much he has changed. He finds out about a Christmas tree contest in Who-ville and decides that he must win it to demonstrate his new Christmas spirit. Preoccupied with decorating the largest tree, he turns away Cindy-Lou Who when she comes to ask him for a favor. When the Grinch's tree gets second place, he is incensed and angrily retreats to his cave. Cindy-Lou, the winner of the contest, makes him come back by revealing that she wanted him to make an ornament for her tree so that Grinch would feel they like him "an awfully lot." Mollified, the Grinch realizes that he "BELONGED all along!" and that true winning is "being TOGETHER at Christmas!" Somewhat contrary to this message, he then crowns Cindy-Lou for her first-place win. Heim does a serviceable job emulating Dr. Seuss's style, though it is difficult to say whether a light rewriting of entire passages counts as homage or inability to create something more original. Colorful illustrations look more like the 1966 cartoon than the original black, white, and red drawings, but they are still whimsical and Seussian nevertheless. VERDICT Altogether, a serviceable sequel and a cute Christmas story with a positive though muddled message.—Yelena Voysey

School Library Journal

2023-08-15
Since a reformed Grinch is hardly any fun, this follow-up Grinches him up once more.

Those seeking more of the same, prepare to receive precisely that. Christmas is coming (again!), and the Grinch can hardly wait. He’s been patient all year, and now he can finally show the Whos down in Who-ville how much he’s changed. When the Grinch learns of a tree-decorating contest, he figures that if he wins, it’ll prove he truly has the Christmas spirit. He throws himself into the task, but when it comes time to judge the trees, the Grinch is horrified to discover that he’s received only the second-place trophy. Can Cindy-Lou Who find the words to save the day? Replicating many of the original beats and wordplay of the original, this tale feels like less a sequel and more like a vaguely rewritten variation. Meanwhile, Ruiz’s art seeks to bridge the gap between the animated Chuck Jones version of the Grinch and the one depicted in the original book. This thankless task results in a strange uncanny valley between Seuss and Jones but does allow the artist a chance to colorize everything and lend some racial diversity to the Who population (Cindy-Lou is light-skinned). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews