ALA Booklist (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

And now for something completely different: here's a Christmas tale with peanuts as characters. On Christmas Day, Peanut and his parents set out for dinner at Grandma's house. Along the way, they encounter a sad-looking baker on the road, an unhappy sailor in her boat, and a forlorn lumberjack in the woods. Each time, Peanut says, "Don't be sad! I'll cheer you up! I'm the Merry Christmas Nut!" and invites them to go to Grandma's house. When they lose their way in the forest, Peanut's new friends cheer him up with variations of his rhyme. The catchy verse helps move the story along, but this picture book's main draw is its original artwork. Creating characters with unshelled peanuts for bodies, wire for legs, arms, and glasses, and a variety of eccentric hats to distinguish each individual from the rest, Border places them in a miniature 3-D world of his own creation and photographs the scenes. The large-scale illustrations offer plenty of intriguing elements for children to enjoy. An imaginative picture book with a holiday theme.

Kirkus Reviews

Border continues his food-as-characters shtick with this Christmas tale about a family of peanuts celebrating the holiday together. The unusual illustrations feature real peanuts, still in their shells, photographed in amusing scenes filled with small props and backgrounds of water, snow, or Christmas-cookie trees. The peanuts have wire arms and legs, character-differentiating hats, and wire-framed glasses that give the illusion of eyes. The main character, Peanut, who wears a propeller beanie, and his parents encounter difficulties on the way to Grandma's house for Christmas dinner, such as a "traffic jelly," instead of a traffic jam. They invite each peanut character who assists them to join the group and come along to Grandma's for dinner, Peanut informing each one, "Don't be sad! I'll cheer you up! I'm the Merry Christmas Nut!" Each additional peanut has something special to offer, and with teamwork, the group solves further problems. The cumulative story has a traditional folk-tale sensibility with its repeated refrain, journey complicated by obstacles, assistance from strangers along the way, and rewards for those who help others in need. The funny conclusion shows Peanut and his family and friends enjoying their Christmas dinner with real (though tiny) food items, followed by an ice-hockey match on a Popsicle skating rink. Adults might find Peanut's cheery, repetitive catchphrase annoying, but kids will likely eat this up. (Picture book. 4-7)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Border, the creator of Peanut Butter & Cupcake and Milk Goes to School, returns with the amusing story of a dramatic holiday journey, featuring his signature dioramas of food-based characters. Peanut and his family are on their way to his grandmother-s house, but they-re thwarted by troublesome roads (-At first, Peanut thought it was a traffic jam, but then he saw it was a traffic jelly-), a busted bridge, and bad weather. Along the way, Peanut invites a baker, sailor, and lumberjack to join them, spreading holiday cheer: -Don-t be sad! I-ll cheer you up! I-m the Merry Christmas Nut!- The rhyme is catchy (as is Peanut-s overall enthusiasm), and as with Border-s previous books, the real delights come from his carefully and humorously staged scenes-at one point, the peanuts make their way through a forest of pine tree cookies dusted with green sugar, resulting in some literal chewing of the scenery. Ages 3-7. (Oct.)

School Library Journal (Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

PreS-Gr 2In this spirited tale from the creator of Peanut Butter and Cupcake and other photo-illustrated stories featuring tasty food items as characters, young Peanut is traveling to his grandmother's house for Christmas dinner. He and his parents set off in the family car but soon encounter an obstaclean accident involving a peanut baker whose giant jar of jelly has spilled all over the road. The baker is sad because now he cannot make his famous jelly donuts, so Peanut invites him to come along to Grandma's house. Additional delays introduce more peanuts in distress. Peanut invites them, too, enthusiastically proclaiming, "Don't be sad! I'll cheer you up! I'm the Merry Christmas nut!" Grandmother is unfazed by the extra guests. There's plenty of food, including a wagon full of mashed potatoes and gravy. Everyone stays the night, and the fun continues the next day with a rousing game of hockey atop an orange popsicle. VERDICT Kids will be mesmerized by Border's clever photos, which imbue the peanuts with personality and a true sense of action. The message of kindness comes across with no overt religious references. Good nutty fun!Linda Israelson, Los Angeles Public Library