Now that Halloween haunting has ended, it's time to make Merry! We've
highlighted just a few selections with which to deck the halls (and
bookshelves).
Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
(Candlewick, $16.99, 9780763629205/0763629200, 32 pp., ages 4-8,
November)
The week before Christmas, as young Frances prepares for the nativity
play, she notices a monkey on the corner across the street from her
apartment and the organ grinder who looks after it. DiCamillo leaves
unspoken the girl's thoughts of the paradox between the festive nature
of the holiday season and the harsh life of the organ grinder and his
pet, who, she discovers, sleep on the street and whom she attempts to
befriend. Through his use of a 1940s urban backdrop, Ibatoulline
emphasizes the girl's sense of empathy due to the absence of her
father, presumably the man in uniform in a prominently displayed
photograph. When the organ grinder appears in the church just as
Frances, playing the angel of the Lord, is about to say her line, the
famous words from Luke take on a modern-day relevance: "Behold! . . . I
bring you tidings of great joy!"
It's Christmas by Tina Burke (Kane/Miller, $14.95, 9781933605449/1933605448, 32 pp., all ages, September)
Having proven herself a master at minimalism, Burke (Fly, Little Bird)
heightens the Yuletide humor by juxtaposing universal images with a
tongue-in-cheek text. "There are things to do . . ." reads the text
opposite an image of a boy licking the cookie dough bowl while the
baking project is still in process--eggs and milk spattered across the
table, a cookie sheet only partially filled. "And people to see," the
text continues, as an animated girl counts off to a delighted Santa the
items on her wish list. The expressions on the children's faces convey
far more than words could: a pair of illustrations show two very
determined, joyful girls focused on their tasks (stringing popcorn,
setting out a snack for Santa) while their pooches reap the benefits.
Best of all is the portrait of a boy sitting literally in the fireplace
awaiting St. Nick's arrival. This paper-over-board book will be a
surefire hit with Santa-seeking youngsters.
Finally two titles involving favorite characters (all pigs, as it
happens). Ian Falconer's porcine star, wreaking red-and-green havoc
wherever she goes, must not be missed in Olivia Helps with Christmas
(S&S/Atheneum, $18.99, 9781416907862/1416907866, 60 pp., all ages,
October); two gatefolds spotlight Olivia's especially large gaffs atop
and beneath the Christmas tree.
A welcome antidote to the commercialization of Christmas, Holly
Hobbie's tale demonstrates how much a true friend values thoughtfulness
over financial outlay, Toot & Puddle: Let It Snow (Little,
Brown, $16.99, 9780316166867/0316166863, 32 pp., ages 4-8, October).
Paintings of the two buddies awestruck by the first snowfall are
particularly memorable.--Jennifer M. Brown