I’m excited to share a new addition to our Christmas Gift Guide 2025: Holly Jolly Kitty-Corn A Picture Book by Shannon Hale and Leuyen Pham we received in exchange for this review. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase, I will make a small percentage from the products you purchase.

I’ve been obsessed with Unicorns and Pegasus all my life. My niece Lily also loves Unicorns. I know she would love to have a copy of Holly Jolly Kitty Corn but Charlie and I’ve decided to keep our copy to add to our Christmas Books we read every year.

I can’t wait to let my sister know Holly Jolly Kitty-Corn is a series of books for young readers. I’ve added the books to my letter to Santa and I’m praying and believing Santa or David and Charlie will get the other books for me, so I have the entire series.

I sat down to read Holly Jolly Kitty-Corn this morning, but the illustrations kept distracting me showing the Unicorns doing different things. I like how the Author reminds us there are different answers to a question we might be asked and how no, answer is wrong.

This is Kitty and Unicorns first Christmas together, but they can’t agree on their favorite activities. Just like my family. Is your family the same way? Unicom reminds Kitty music is there favorite part of Christmas. But is that true?

Kitty tries to listen to the music but its to slow. Kitty spends hours crafting Gingerbread houses and ask Unicorn to let her know when she is ready so they can put the Villages together. Unicorn says she is done but it doesn’t look right and tumbles down knocking Kittys houses down.

They begin to argue over the music and the house because both of them was afraid to tell the other how they felt. There friend Gecko reminds them its time to fell stressful which I’m sure we’ve all faced during the Holidays.

Parakeet is there too. Unicron ask Kitty what else is her favorite thing and she says the Tree. I like the lights. What about you? They decide on a huge Tree which Unicorn must like but discover they don’t have enough ornaments.

Time to mae more. Would you like to help them? There still isn’t enough after adding Popcron strings. man, oh man you should see all the unique things added to the Tree. Its like no, Christmas Tree I’ve ever seen.

Oh, no the Tree crashes down from all the weight. Unicorn tells Kitty she is sorry about her perfect Christmas Tree, but Kitty says it wasn’t her perfect Tree it was Unicorns. Doesn’t sound like they talked things out, does it?

Unicorn says no, I like itty-bitty Trees. Kitty Corn begins to laugh and so does Kitty. They forget the Holiday was ruined because they discover it feels like the merriest day of the year. It wouldn’t be for me if my Christmas Tree toppled over. What about you?

They begin to snack and listen to music together. I love how in the back of the book is a Christmas Song for us to sing. If your #Homeschooling your children, they could sing the song in their music class. Or use it at a Christmas party which Charlie and I will be doing once we finish reading the book to our friends and family.

About the Book:

HOLLY-JOLLY KITTY CORN by Shannon Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (On sale September 23; ISBN: 9781419768798; Ages 4-8)

This festive kitty-corn tale from bestselling team Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham is a cozy and heartwarming holiday story about the magic of true friendship. Kitty and Unicorn can’t wait to spend their first Christmas together!

But try as they might, they can’t seem to agree on their favorite festivities. Is it the music, the gingerbread, or decorating the tree? Will the magical best friends pull off the perfect Christmas, or will all their plans come tip-timber-crashing down?

Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is the New York Times best-selling author of over fifty books, selling fifteen million copies in North America and translated into twenty-five languages worldwide. Her novels for young readers include the fantasies The Goose Girl, Kind of a Big Deal, and Book of a Thousand Days; science fiction novel Dangerous; and Newbery Honor-recipient Princess Academy.

One of her novels for the adult crowd, Austenland, was made into movie starring Keri Russell and Jennifer Coolidge. With LeUyen Pham, she created her best-selling graphic novel memoir Friends series and the Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn picture books.

She co-writes books with her husband Dean Hale, like the Eisner-nominee Rapunzel’s Revenge (with Nathan Hale), graphic novels for DC Comics about young Wonder Woman (with Victoria Ying), and best-selling chapter book series The Princess in Black (with LeUyen Pham). She lives in Utah with four human children and two ridiculous cats.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates