Every November when I drag out our Christmas decorations, I’m always most excited for one box in particular. It contains our holiday books! Because I am a HUGE bibliophile, we have enough books to read two or three every day in December, and still not get through them all by Christmas morning. It’s a good problem to have, and I’m always looking for new titles to add to our stash. I especially love books that focus on Kansas City, and there are several good ones available! So, when author Paul Schreiner asked our team to review his new book, Rudolf Discovers the Plaza Lights, I jumped at the chance!
The first thing we noticed were the illustrations. They are beautiful! My boys, age 6, loved that Rudolf visited so many familiar Kansas City landmarks. They were excited to see Kauffman and Arrowhead, the shuttlecocks at the Nelson, and Union Station among his travels. There are also some lesser known KC sights like the Negro League Museum and the Steamboat Arabia Museum mentioned.
While the product details describe the book as intended for ages 4-8, I would argue that it’s really written for an older audience. The vocabulary is a bit tricky for kindergartners, and I found we had to stop a few times as my own children asked what certain words meant. Because of this, my children lost interest in the story itself and wanted to just look at the pictures. The book is written in rhyme, but there are verses that don’t quite work, making certain parts awkward to read, especially for budding readers. However, the overall theme of embracing our uniqueness is a nice message for all to hear.
This book would be a nice addition to any Kansas City lover’s holiday library. Christmas in Kansas City is a truly special time. What better way to celebrate it than with a fun book!