Dr. Seuss's how the Grinch lost Christmas!

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

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) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.