#1064 – A Box of Peanuts Holiday Wisdom by Charles M. Schultz

Peanuts: A Box Of Holiday Wisdom
Written and Illustrated by Charles M. Schultz
Running Press Kids 9/22/2015
978-0-7624-5873-8
72 pages Ages 4+

“Be JOYFUL
“Deck the Halls with Peanuts®

“Many will agree that it is never really Christmas without the Peanuts gang! Beloved for generations, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, and friends share their best Christmas memories in this heart-warming collection of quotes and illustrations from the classic comic. With true Peanuts wisdom, Be Joyful is the perfect reminder to celebrate the simple joys of friends, life, and goodwill.” [BACK COVER]

“Be AWESOME
“Find Individuality Through Peanuts®

“When it comes to showing the world what they are made of, the Peanuts girls know how it’s done! From Lucy’s bold opinions to Peppermint Patty’s can-do attitude to Sally’s lovable spirit, these memorable characters are the perfect role models for celebrating unique, larger-than-life personalities. Introducing Snoopy’s fierce sister, Belle, Be Awesome is filled with old friends and new friends who are not afraid to let their best selves shine!” [BACK COVER]

“Be THANKFUL
“Find Gratitude Through Peanuts®

“Sometimes it helps to remember how much we have to be thankful for. Let the Peanuts gang help you count your blessings! Be inspired by Charlie Brown’s sincerity, Snoopy’s positivity, and Linus’s generosity. Learn to love the little things the Peanuts way!” [BACK COVER]

Review
Joyful. Awesome. Thankful. Most feel one or more this time of year. It doesn’t take the Peanuts® gang to get you feeling any of these. Yet, Charlie Brown and company have always be a part of the holidays. So, what better way is there to end this year than with an iconic group of characters needing no introduction?

Joyful. Snoopy is the most excited about Christmas. Charlie Brown walks by with a few wrapped gifts, not necessarily for Snoopy, yet he gets excited, smiles, and says, “I love the holiday season!” We all understand him when Charlie does bring him a gift, telling him the tag says, “Do not open until Christmas.” But Snoopy already has the gift wrap off the box while thinking, “Dogs can’t read. Hee, hee, hee!”

If you want to see that kind of exuberance, and Snoopy can’t stop by—he’s busy shooting down the Red Baron—wrap up smoked bone and let your dog near it. A cat’s response is even better. Wrap a cat toy, but first sprinkle or spray catnip on top. A little boy will do the same if his gift has a couple dozen Hot Wheel cars attached to the wrapping. He might forget there’s a gift in the box. My nephew did.

Awesome. All the Peanuts® characters understand “awesome.” They are an awesome group. They bring us awesome smiles and awesome giggles. Who wouldn’t have wanted an awesome teacher like Charlie Brown’s. You can repeat what she said without being sent to the principal’s office.

How awesome a friend is Charlie Brown? He takes so much grief from the girls, all without saying a word. “I know from personal experience that it would take a genius to understand me!” said Lucy. “It’s a scientific fact that at our age girls are smarter than boys!” declares Violet. And Peppermint Patty, who has an unrequited love for Charlie, offers a bit of wisdom. “I guess I learned something, Marcie . . . never give your heart to a blockhead.”

Thankful. Linus is thankful for his blue blanket. As he smiles at the blanket, hanging on a clothesline, Linus tells Charlie Brown, “I hang it in the sun once a month as a gesture of appreciation for all it has done for me.” Charlie Brown is thankful for a new baseball season. “I can’t believe it. Our baseball season starts today, and we haven’t lost yet.”

Each of these mini-books—small enough to fit into a pocket or purse—will delight Peanuts® fans young and old. These three books are full of quotes from the iconic comic strip, which ran for years, possibly for a few generations. Kids will be delighted with Charlie Brown’s gang, even if this is an introduction. The kids in the Peanuts® gang are timeless characters. They know how to fit in with any age, any season, any year. These quotes can cheer you up, make you smile, and make you remember little memories from your own life. Peanuts: A Box of Wisdom is the perfect collector’s gift, graduation gift, any gift. Reluctant readers will enjoy the short quotes and the fabulous illustrations, all straight from Peanuts® own history.

I am thankful for each and every one of you who stop by to read a review or look at a marvelous illustration. You are the awesome reason I do all of this. Sure, I love kidlit, and reading all the fantastic books graciously sent to me, but without you . . . there would be no reason.

I’ll be back next year. Ah, next year. Seems a long vacation when said this way. At least one new post will run. It is written by a young woman who recently began writing reviews with her brother. They have an astute vision and I think you will enjoy their post about this year’s best middle grade novel. They call themselves KidReviewers. Astute.

May you all have the holidays you wish to enjoy.

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Amazon—Indie Books—Running Press Kids

Add Peanuts: A Box Of Holiday Wisdom to Your Goodreads Shelf HERE.

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Reprinted with permission from PEANUTS: A BOX OF HOLIDAY WISDOM © 2015 by Charles M. Schultz, Running Press Kids. Illustrations © 2015 by Charles M. Schultz.

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Peanuts: A Box Of Holiday Wisdom
Written and Illustrated by Charles M. Schultz
Running Press Kids 9/22/2015
9780762458738