Fly Guy’s Ninja Christmas

Arnold’s big-eyed hero’s 16th outing is a Christmas tale, and over this book’s three chapters Fly Guy learns what Christmas is all about (“Prezentzz!”), sends Santa careening into the Christmas tree with some well-placed karate moves (“Fly Guy saw a big stranger in the house! He had to save the day”), and manages to set things right before his young human owner, Buzz, wakes up. As usual, Arnold’s punchy sentences are well-targeted to beginning readers, and his scribble-textured cartoons play up the story’s physical comedy as much as possible—Buzz’s parents look with confusion at the bedraggled tree on Christmas morning, though Buzz is too busy opening presents to notice. Fly Guy’s zzz-laden exclamations, his chaotic encounter with Santa, and plenty of “ninja action” to go around should keep this bug’s fans happy. Ages 4–7. Agent: Faith Hamlin, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Sept.)