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(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Brett Helquist.
A nattily dressed lump of coal attempts to express himself creatively through drawing. He's stymied until crossing paths with a drugstore Santa. Snicket's humor, including tenuous logic and snappy wordplay, is on full display. Helquist's full-color illustrations manage to make the protagonist look like an actual lump of coal, albeit one that dreams of creative fulfillment.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2008