Under the Christmas Tree: Judy Moody & Stink: Holly Joliday by Megan McDonald

Judy Moody is in a mood--a holiday mood: she's made her T.P. list (Totally Presents) on a roll of toilet paper (natch) and in true Judy style they're all gifts for her. Her seven-year-old brother Stink's list is not so expansive. His Christmas wish fits on one square--SNOW!

Down-to-earth Judy points out that it NEVER snows where they live. "Stinkerbell," she gripes, "the mailman is wearing shorts and I saw a robin yesterday!" Know-it-all big sister Judy encourages Stink to get over it and concentrate on the big Jolly Holiday Happening at school. Judy's class is performing The Twelve Days of Christmas in Hawaii, complete with grass skirts, flip-flops, palm trees, and talking parrots. Stink couldn't care less; he's always a mouse in The Night before Christmas skit, so what's new about that?

What is new is their substitute mailman. He's chubby, white-bearded, wears red and green mittens, and claims that his name really is Jack Frost.

"What happens when a dog bites me?" he asks.

" I dunno," says Stink.

"I get FROST BITE," the mailman quips. "Ho Ho Ho."

Stink decides that the part-time postman has precipitation potential and asks Jack if he can deliver some snow for Christmas. Jack doesn't promise, but suggests that it could happen. Stink's snow hopes begin to rise, but unfortunately, so does the temperature outside. Thinking to seed the clouds (so to speak), he secretly comes up with a snowflake costume to take the place of his boring mouse outfit for the school program, and Snowflake Stink is a big hit at the Jolly Holiday Happening.

"What a flake," grumps Judy.

Still, when Christmas eve rolls around, Judy consents to help him keep a snow vigil. They read snow books (Owl Moon, The Snowy Day, Snowflake Bentley, and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening) and postman Jack Frost pops in for a cameo appearance with a late-arriving package for Stink and Judy. Stink holds out until close to midnight but finally falls asleep to the sound of rain outside. In a rare moment of sympathy for her little brother, Judy decides to decorate the room with snowflakes. She tapes cutout flakes on the window, suspends them on ribbons from the ceiling, and sprinkles snowflake confetti over the sleeping Stink.

On Christmas morning Stink wakes early in the snow-decked room and shakes Judy.

"Wake up, Judy. It's snow!"

"Stink, it's just pretend snow," says Judy groggily. "I didn't want you to have a very muddy Christmas or a very Moody one."

"No, Jack Frost was here. It's real, not fake snow."

And of course, it is. Jack Frost's package turns out to have red and green mittens inside, and Stink and Judy put them on and zoom outside to play in the snow.

"The world is your snowball, Stink!" Judy concedes.

Megan McDonald's truly funny story works perfectly with Peter Reynolds' Christmasy cartoon-style illustrations. Judy Moody & Stink: Holly Jolliday is a great addition to the popular Judy Moody series and is a terrific family Christmas story for beginning chapter readers.