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The Lump of Coal
This is a story about a lump of coal who can think, talk, and move itself around.
Is there a more charming holiday tale to behold? Probably, but Lemony Snicket has not written one.
Is there a more charming holiday tale to behold? Probably, but Lemony Snicket has not written one.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2008
4 people are currently reading
2094 people want to read
About the author
Lemony Snicket
295 books26.3k followersLemony Snicket had an unusual education and a perplexing youth and now endures a despondent adulthood. His previous published works include the thirteen volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Composer is Dead, and 13 Words. His new series is All The Wrong Questions.
For A Series of Unfortunate Events:
www.lemonysnicket.com
For All The Wrong Questions:
www.lemonysnicketlibrary.com
For A Series of Unfortunate Events:
www.lemonysnicket.com
For All The Wrong Questions:
www.lemonysnicketlibrary.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 520 reviews
December 29, 2019
here is a thank you note (pretend it's handwritten because things seem more thoughtful that way):
dear lemony snicket,
thank you for not only saving my life (and my reading challenge) by writing and publishing one of the smallest books i have ever seen, but for making that book way better than it had to be and thereby saving my life once more for making me feel the smallest bit less slumpy.
also, thank you for outfitting the lump of coal in a tuxedo, for reasons unexplained and presumably very important (such as, it is funny to see such a dapper lump).
these two expressions of gratitude are equally important.
love, me
----------
to all of you silently watching as i read the tiniest books in the world in a desperate, last-minute attempt to finish my reading challenge: all i can say is...let me have this
dear lemony snicket,
thank you for not only saving my life (and my reading challenge) by writing and publishing one of the smallest books i have ever seen, but for making that book way better than it had to be and thereby saving my life once more for making me feel the smallest bit less slumpy.
also, thank you for outfitting the lump of coal in a tuxedo, for reasons unexplained and presumably very important (such as, it is funny to see such a dapper lump).
these two expressions of gratitude are equally important.
love, me
----------
to all of you silently watching as i read the tiniest books in the world in a desperate, last-minute attempt to finish my reading challenge: all i can say is...let me have this
April 8, 2020
AND NOW IS THE TIME OF YEAR I FLOAT OLD CHRISTMAS REVIEWS TO COUNTDOWN TO BING BONG BING BONG!!
this was a nice little holiday book about a piece of coal in a tuxedo.
come to my blog!
this was a nice little holiday book about a piece of coal in a tuxedo.
come to my blog!
December 22, 2022
Like his mentor Edward Gorey, Lemony Snicket knows how to make fun of nice cultural occasions like Christmas. He takes the idea of the "lump of coal" gift for bad children and just goes goofy on it. He takes a sappy moral like "miracles are everywhere" and makes it both silly and meaningful in his own way: A little lump of coal wants to be an artist, a little-engine-that-could. Brett Helquist's illustrations are terrific. Cute short book with more words than illustrations.
December 15, 2019
This is a book half the size of normal picture books. The book itself is cute. I saw this and I wanted to see what it was about. I thought it could be interesting. I was rather disappointed, I must say. The coal was alive and looking for miracles. It wanted to be an artist and help cook some chicken. He meets a Santa who puts him in his nephews stocking and the two make quite a pair.
I didn’t think the story was funny or really had a sense of fun. It was melancholy and sort of depressing. The lump of coal, as you might think, didn’t have much personality. It also didn’t feel very holiday really. Santa is in the book and the lump of coal is in a stocking, but it still doesn’t feel very holiday. The nephew laughed that someone was given a lump of coal, but the boy was an artist. I told the nephew that if he keeps yelling at his parents the way he is, he’s going to get a lump of coal and he doesn’t believe me. He says, “na uh” He thinks he will always get what he wants. I guess that’s a good thing.
He didn’t really like this story either and he thought the little lump of coal sort of looked like a poop ball. He gave this 1 star. He didn’t think it was funny and never wants to read it again.
I didn’t think the story was funny or really had a sense of fun. It was melancholy and sort of depressing. The lump of coal, as you might think, didn’t have much personality. It also didn’t feel very holiday really. Santa is in the book and the lump of coal is in a stocking, but it still doesn’t feel very holiday. The nephew laughed that someone was given a lump of coal, but the boy was an artist. I told the nephew that if he keeps yelling at his parents the way he is, he’s going to get a lump of coal and he doesn’t believe me. He says, “na uh” He thinks he will always get what he wants. I guess that’s a good thing.
He didn’t really like this story either and he thought the little lump of coal sort of looked like a poop ball. He gave this 1 star. He didn’t think it was funny and never wants to read it again.
February 23, 2016
The Lump of Coal is not your typical holiday story. This ingenious tale is about a lump of coal, one with a flare for art and the desire to prepare authentic Korean barbecue, who dreams of a holiday miracle. The illustrations of the lump of coal are especially charming.
December 21, 2012
Ordinarily the cheery message of "Miracles can happen if you keep on believing" would be enough to set my teeth on edge...HOWEVER...when that message is woven into the tale of a sullen lump of coal who wants to be an artist AND is told by none other than Lemony Snicket - my teeth remain quite happy.
This is a cute, not cutesy, book about a walking, talking lump of coal who really rocks a tux. He dreams artistic little dreams of canvas, galleries and exhibitions, but would settle for life as a briquette.
What happens to him is indeed a Christmas miracle, but this is Snicket, remember, so it is a miracle that may bring a smile, but should NOT cause groaning and indigestion.
I can't say enough about Brett Helquist's illustrations, particularly his attention to detail, and his rendering of the Lump's endearing facial expressions.
They really MAKE the book.
Thanks for bringing this one to my attention, Kaethe.
This is a cute, not cutesy, book about a walking, talking lump of coal who really rocks a tux. He dreams artistic little dreams of canvas, galleries and exhibitions, but would settle for life as a briquette.
What happens to him is indeed a Christmas miracle, but this is Snicket, remember, so it is a miracle that may bring a smile, but should NOT cause groaning and indigestion.
I can't say enough about Brett Helquist's illustrations, particularly his attention to detail, and his rendering of the Lump's endearing facial expressions.
They really MAKE the book.
Thanks for bringing this one to my attention, Kaethe.
November 17, 2008
Lemony Snicket rules and all but mostly I like the crotchety little lump stomping around in his little tuxedo, glaring at everybody. Glare glare glare.
November 30, 2016
This was a cute, short, happy holiday story :)
December 11, 2021
An 11-minute audio about looking for the little miracles in life. Cute.
December 21, 2010
Oh, I was hoping that this would be my last 2010 holiday book; it would have been fitting seeing as how I don’t consider myself to be somebody who is a fan of holiday books. But, I see that there are two more holiday books that I’m expecting from the library. Ah well.
Perhaps this isn’t worth 5 stars but I laughed, a lot, and I thought the whole thing was clever. Much is made fun of here, not just the holidays. Art and the art world are among the subjects skewered here.
The story is very amusing and there are many hilarious lines.
The illustrations are a hoot too, very funny.
The whole book is very whimsical and very clever.
I did take it off my children’s shelf though because in my opinion this is primarily a book for adults.
Perhaps this isn’t worth 5 stars but I laughed, a lot, and I thought the whole thing was clever. Much is made fun of here, not just the holidays. Art and the art world are among the subjects skewered here.
The story is very amusing and there are many hilarious lines.
The illustrations are a hoot too, very funny.
The whole book is very whimsical and very clever.
I did take it off my children’s shelf though because in my opinion this is primarily a book for adults.
December 7, 2020
2008 December 29
This is going to be a perennial holiday read, I think. And every time I read it, I love it more.
***
2009 December 19
***
2012 December 17
It does get better, every year. Favorite line: "The story begins with a lump of coal, who for the sake of argument, could think, talk, and move itself around. Like many people who dress in black, the lump of coal was interested in becoming an artist."
Really, I wish Snicket were devoting his time to writing short stories.
***
2014 December 11
The PandaBat read this to me last night. I died.
This is going to be a perennial holiday read, I think. And every time I read it, I love it more.
***
2009 December 19
***
2012 December 17
It does get better, every year. Favorite line: "The story begins with a lump of coal, who for the sake of argument, could think, talk, and move itself around. Like many people who dress in black, the lump of coal was interested in becoming an artist."
Really, I wish Snicket were devoting his time to writing short stories.
***
2014 December 11
The PandaBat read this to me last night. I died.
January 8, 2018
An adorable anthropomorphic lump of coal goes on a journey to find his destiny. Loved it.
Audiobook, borrowed from my public library via Overdrive, with an excellent reading by Neil Patrick Harris, as if he could do anything but provide an outstanding performance of a Lemony Snicket story.
Audiobook, borrowed from my public library via Overdrive, with an excellent reading by Neil Patrick Harris, as if he could do anything but provide an outstanding performance of a Lemony Snicket story.
November 16, 2016
Miracles are like pimples, because once you start looking for them you find more than you ever dreamed you'd see!
Lemony Snicket! <3
Lemony Snicket! <3
Read
November 21, 2022have a feeling that this coal lump is the only one who can break my reading slump (ha ha!)
December 29, 2014
Lump of Coal is essentially a picture book, re-teaming the wit and whimsy of Lemony Snicket with the admirable illustrations of Brett Helquist, his collaborator in the Series of Unfortunate Events books. The illustrations, to me, are the main appeal here, but the story isn't without its charm as the titular character goes in search of a purpose in life. It's fluff, not as impactful or lasting as great picture books like Corduroy or Harold and the Purple Crayon, but it is a well executed and amusing story that tells a unique holiday story from an unexpected source.
May 27, 2020
Nice little Christmas book.
Wanted to give Lemony Snicket a chance to redeem himself after I completed “Series Of Unfortunate Events”.
Wanted to give Lemony Snicket a chance to redeem himself after I completed “Series Of Unfortunate Events”.
March 10, 2013
I'm not a huge Lemony Snicket fan. I tried reading A Series of Unfortunate Events but couldn't get into it (I never even finished the first book). The movie based on those books bored me. So I didn't have super-high expectations when a family member brought this little book home from the library.
It's a cute message wrapped in a well-written little story... but the fun part of this book is really the illustrations. There's just something amusing about a grumpy little piece of coal who sets off to find fulfillment as an artist (leaving little black footprints everywhere as he goes).
It's short, and you can probably get through it in a couple of minutes. However, I can see this as a holiday favourite that kids might enjoy hearing read aloud.
http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...
It's a cute message wrapped in a well-written little story... but the fun part of this book is really the illustrations. There's just something amusing about a grumpy little piece of coal who sets off to find fulfillment as an artist (leaving little black footprints everywhere as he goes).
It's short, and you can probably get through it in a couple of minutes. However, I can see this as a holiday favourite that kids might enjoy hearing read aloud.
http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...
November 22, 2019
The Lump Of Coal is a small hardcover, Christmas-themed book for young readers, by Lemony Snicket. It is marvellously illustrated by Brett Helquist. The Lump of Coal (dressed in his black suit, white shirt and black bow-tie) has dreams of becoming an artist (like many people who dress in black). Or perhaps making his mark on a breast of chicken or a salmon fillet. He is accidentally liberated from a sack of charcoal, and goes looking for a miracle that might facilitate his dreams. He ends up in a disobedient someone’s Christmas stocking. And, surprisingly, that turns out to be a good thing. As with his Series of Unfortunate Events books, Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) is deprecating about the worth of the work. He also provides clever, often amusing, meanings for words he uses, a tactic for adding humour that anyone who is familiar with ASOFU will recognise. Quite delightful!
December 1, 2019
Cute and hilarious, with a nice message. I love the Snicket/Helquist duo. The art compliments the story perfectly.
January 1, 2009
Great authors often have trouble outdistancing their greatest works. The habits of characterization and rhythm of dialogue becomes less a hallmark of an author's style, and more a fall back position. Instead of developing new skills, an author will remain bound to what had been successful in the past, at the cost of becoming more successful in the future (see: Grafton, Sue).
Lemony Snicket is not that kind of an author. He has completed his Series of Unfortunate Events, and moved on. Though his detailed, occasionally pedantic, style remains firmly intact, he has branched out from what had succeeded in the past to try and reach towards a new audience. He has placed religion, morality and self-examination at the thematic center of his work. However, the bulk of the book (though it's a scant few pages) seems largely quotidian, and though Snicket is one of the most imaginative writers working today, The Lump of Coal is more simplistic than befits a writer of Snicket's stature. Still it remains thematically in line with his best work and features a final page that is utterly remarkable, a beautiful paragraph that stands on a par with Seuss and Dickens for great Holiday morality.
Lemony Snicket still hasn't outdone his best selling works, and though this book is not a major step forward, in one paragraph he has shown a flash of irrefutable brilliance proving that he certainly can become an immensely successful author in the future.
Lemony Snicket is not that kind of an author. He has completed his Series of Unfortunate Events, and moved on. Though his detailed, occasionally pedantic, style remains firmly intact, he has branched out from what had succeeded in the past to try and reach towards a new audience. He has placed religion, morality and self-examination at the thematic center of his work. However, the bulk of the book (though it's a scant few pages) seems largely quotidian, and though Snicket is one of the most imaginative writers working today, The Lump of Coal is more simplistic than befits a writer of Snicket's stature. Still it remains thematically in line with his best work and features a final page that is utterly remarkable, a beautiful paragraph that stands on a par with Seuss and Dickens for great Holiday morality.
Lemony Snicket still hasn't outdone his best selling works, and though this book is not a major step forward, in one paragraph he has shown a flash of irrefutable brilliance proving that he certainly can become an immensely successful author in the future.
December 6, 2018
It doesn't get much more tongue-in-cheek than Lemony Snicket - whose thirteen-volume A Series of Unfortunate Events explored a hilariously dolorous world - and The Lump of Coal is a case in point! The story of a hero who is "small, flammable, and dressed all in black," who, "for the sake of argument," can think, talk and move, it is a tale suitable for those who hear, at this time of year, "the story of a candelabra staying lit for more than a week, or a baby born in a barn without proper medical supervision," and answers the crush of more sentimental holiday fare in its own (or Snicket's own) inimitable style.
Now, I tend to get a little sentimental at this time of year, and have no argument to make against the "sweeter" holiday selections, but there is always room for the humorous as well, in my reading schedule, regardless of the season! Between the dryly humorous story, and Brett Helquist's expressive illustrations, which somehow make the anthropomorphic coal look simultaneously cute and repulsive, A Lump of Coal really had me chuckling! Recommended to anyone who likes a little spice in their holiday reading brew, and to fans of this author/illustrator team!
Now, I tend to get a little sentimental at this time of year, and have no argument to make against the "sweeter" holiday selections, but there is always room for the humorous as well, in my reading schedule, regardless of the season! Between the dryly humorous story, and Brett Helquist's expressive illustrations, which somehow make the anthropomorphic coal look simultaneously cute and repulsive, A Lump of Coal really had me chuckling! Recommended to anyone who likes a little spice in their holiday reading brew, and to fans of this author/illustrator team!
April 9, 2010
If you know me, you know that I am a HUMUNGOUS fan of Lemony Snicket. I won’t say Daniel Handler because his adult books just never grabbed me, but when he’s Lemony Snicket, I go bananas.
I’ve seen that some people aren’t as impressed with The Lump of Coal as they were with The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story, but I don’t know if I entirely agree. I liked this book, though I will admit it seems a little watered-down for a Snicket creation. There is the usual dark humor and use of lofty vocabulary that we all know and love, but as weird as it sounds, I really don’t feel Snicket’s normal passion in this book. It’s funny and clever and has dashes of typical Snicket themes, but (it pains me so much to write this) it falls a little flat. Just a little! But it is cute and the end is probably as warm and fuzzy as Snicket could ever get, so overall it’s a great book. As good as Latke or the amazing Series of Unfortunate Events? Hmm.. maybe not.
Taken from my blog: libchickreads.wordpress.com
I’ve seen that some people aren’t as impressed with The Lump of Coal as they were with The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story, but I don’t know if I entirely agree. I liked this book, though I will admit it seems a little watered-down for a Snicket creation. There is the usual dark humor and use of lofty vocabulary that we all know and love, but as weird as it sounds, I really don’t feel Snicket’s normal passion in this book. It’s funny and clever and has dashes of typical Snicket themes, but (it pains me so much to write this) it falls a little flat. Just a little! But it is cute and the end is probably as warm and fuzzy as Snicket could ever get, so overall it’s a great book. As good as Latke or the amazing Series of Unfortunate Events? Hmm.. maybe not.
Taken from my blog: libchickreads.wordpress.com
December 12, 2017
Possibly one of the best short stories I have ever read, The Lump of Coal is a funny, charming story about purpose, friendship and perspective and how each can enrich your life. Often times in shorter works you see authors get lazy but in this new holiday classic,Snicket retains his fine literary form, keeping the story flowing with punchy and hilarious ease and spinning a tale of new I will be sure to revisit year after year. For an author for which I read over 20 independent works, I find that I never tire of his distinctive darkly dry humor and his use of emphasis and clarification, finding any repetitive traits more as a warm hug than as dog who refuses to learn new tricks. Do yourself a favor and give this a read. Then do yourself another favor and get the audiobook and have Neil Patrick Harris expertly read it to you. A festive 4 (more like 4.5) out of 5 stars from me!
December 20, 2008
A silly little holiday story about the trials and tribulations of a lump of coal who aspires to make avante-garde art, told in standard Lemony Snicket style; intellectually dry, absurdist, with a dash of morality. This is a short little picture book, so even more so than his other works, the intended audience is ambiguous. Is it really for the kindergarten set? Well, I'm sure many kids would love Helquist's beautiful and narrative illustrations (as usual), but Snicket's verbose, rambling humor easily zings over the young head. However, the underlying story is simple and short. A cute, quirky, unusual holiday story that would make a good stocking stuffer for the highbrow humorist in your family, ages 5+.
December 23, 2015
“The holiday season is a time for storytelling, and whether you are hearing the story of a candelabra staying lit for more than a week, or a baby born in a barn without proper medical supervision, these stories often feature miracles. Miracles are like pimples, because once you start looking for them you find more than you ever dreamed you'd see, and this holiday story features any number of miracles, depending on your point of view.”
― Lemony Snicket, The Lump of Coal
Absolute must!
― Lemony Snicket, The Lump of Coal
Absolute must!
December 31, 2018
"It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season--like all the other seasons--is a good time to not only tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them."
October 29, 2008
I thought this was classic Lemony Snicket, just a little bit ridiculous and yet deep at the same time. The ending caught me slightly off guard, but it's probably one of my favorite endings to childrens books.
December 17, 2008
This is my new favorite Christmas book! It has everything- great illustrations, cleverly written humor, and on top of all that a heartwarming simple message that is insightful and helps put the holidays in perspective. Love it, Love it, Love it! Go and get a copy TODAY!!!
November 16, 2016
A wonderful Christmas story narrated by the talented Neil Patrick Harris!
March 8, 2025
4⭐️ Good to know Lemony Snicket is a KBBQ fan
Displaying 1 - 30 of 520 reviews