Gunhilde's Christmas Booke

Gunhilde #2

by Virginia Kahl

Although her family is imprisoned in a strange land on Christmas, Gunhilde still has her book containing all the ingredients for a happy holiday.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out sailing shortly before Christmas, little Gunhilde, her twelve older sisters, her parents the Duke and Duchess, and the family cook find themselves caught up in a storm, and then taken captive by a band of wild men in this rhyming holiday tale from author/illustrator Virginia Kahl. Thrown into a drafty dungeon, they mourn the fact that they will miss their holiday celebration, until Gunhilde breaks out her Christmas Booke, which documents all the customs the family observes at this time of year. While sharing this with their guards, the family convince them to become involved in those celebrations, from fetching a Yule log from the nearby forest to feasting on many delicacies. Won over by the Christmas spirit, the wild men release the family, urging them to return home to create the holiday in their own castle, so they (the wild men) can visit...

Published in 1972, Gunhilde's Christmas Booke was the fifth picture book featuring the Duke and Duchess and their thirteen daughters, following upon The Dutchess Bakes a Cake (1955), Plum Pudding For Christmas (1956), The Habits of Rabbits (1957), and The Baron's Booty (1963). Like those earlier books, it features a rhythmic narrative told through rhyme, an amusing story pairing fairy-tale trappings with madcap antics and humor, and winsome vintage-style artwork done in black ink with a limited but attractive range of color washes. Virginia Kahl served as a librarian for the U.S. Army during the post-World War II period in Austria, and these books are inspired by that setting. This installment of the series, published almost a decade after the previous one, felt the weakest of the lot, not so much in story or illustration, but in the text, which sometimes stumbled, or had an awkward line. This surprised me, as the previous volumes boasted texts which were almost flawless, running along so smoothly that they tripped off the tongue. Here there were a few moments that felt like the rhyme had been shoe-horned in. That said, the book was still very appealing, and satisfied my desire for more about this unusual ducal family. I'd recommend it to fans of the earlier books, with the proviso that, while very good, it is not quite as outstanding as they are.

[Lagobond · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having recently chanced upon the most lovely The Duchess Bakes a Cake, I picked up every one of Virginia Kahl's books that I could get my hands on. Alas... Gunhilde's Christmas Booke did not deliver. It's an old-fashioned story of Christmas cheer, but what should have been adorable and cozy just feels contrived, overdone, and preachy. A few of the rhymes are a bit clunky, which is a crying shame because Kahl sure knew how to write a perfect poem!

Even the illustrations, compared to the incredibly charming The Duchess Bakes a Cake, somehow manage to look rather blah. This goes especially for the decorative borders around the poem and songs that are part of the story. It feels like the author's heart wasn't entirely in this project. As an aside, if you can't read sheet music and plan to read this book out loud to your kids, you'll have to make up three tunes for the Christmas songs.

I read the entire thing, even though I felt vaguely annoyed from about the third page or so. I kept waiting for the story to take a turn that would save it, but honestly it felt predictable and trite the whole way through. Everything dragged on too long and though there were a few glimpses of Kahl's greatness, I just couldn't bring myself to care.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is not bad, after Kahl having taken a break of nearly a decade from these characters. The weak spot in this one is the inclusion of songs (with notation). Effectively this means that the book cannot be read aloud on the spur of the moment (as all the previous ones could). Rehearsal (or more) is required. The songs are also long - with multiple verses. Just getting through them is an accomplishment. If one takes the time to learn everything and polish it, I think the end result could be excellent. (I could envision a dramatic presentation, complete with costumes, props, and musical accompaniment. It would be lovely.) But without that effort, this one is going to sink at the page turn to the first song. Many will not wish to pursue.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely clever long-form poem with charming little illustrations. Can be read aloud from 4 to 9, can be read alone 9+ (vocab and phrasing are a bit sophisticated but the illustrations help younger listeners / readers follow well).