Picture Book Review: Candy Corn Christmas by Jonathan Fenske

Candy Corn Christmas
Author: Jonathan Fenske
Illustrator: Jonathan Fenske
Little Simon
9 September 2025
40 pages

Ryan’s Review of the Writing

Candy Corn Christmas! has a playful premise: the candy corn left behind after Halloween get tired of waiting in their pumpkin pail and wander straight into Christmas. That jump is the book’s best move. The candy corn feel like kids discovering a holiday for the first time, bouncing from tree to stockings to eggnog with total confidence and zero understanding of boundaries. That sense of mischief gives the book oomph. The pacing stays quick, almost episodic, which works well for a story built on discovery—it keeps kids moving right along with the candy corn.

The art does most of the heavy lifting, and Fenske’s illustrations are lively and fun. The spreads are busy in the best way, full of tiny jokes and expressive candy faces that kids will spot right away. When the candy corn zip across ornaments or dunk themselves in nog, the pages pop. I’ll let Edna talk far more concretely about the art, but to my eye? The whole visual world feels loose, bright, and energetic. There’s also an easy, chatty confidence to the narration that helps the candy corn feel like a little chorus of eager kids, which gives the book a friendly, accessible voice from page one.

The emotional moment arrives when a candy cane tries to shove them back to “their” holiday. It’s clear, simple conflict that sets up Santa’s entrance. Santa’s brief mix-​up and quick course-​correct land well, and the ending settles into a cheerful, everyone-​belongs kind of holiday note without overworking the message. Kids will instantly recognize the moment when someone says, “You don’t belong here,” so the book’s turn toward welcome lands in a way little readers can feel even before the text explains it.

The book’s rhyme has enthusiasm, and Fenske hits those end rhymes with confidence. The rhythm getting there wobbles now and then, though, in a way adults will hear but still remain fun for kids. It’s charming in its own loose, bouncy way even if the scansion isn’t fully locked in.

Overall, the idea is cute, the art is genuinely fun, and kids will enjoy the candy-​corn-​chaos of it all. The visuals and the concept pull readers through with plenty of good-​natured holiday energy.