Say WHAT? Say Zoop! by Herve Tullet

PUT YOUR FINGER ON THE LITTLE DOT AND SAY A LITTLE Oh!

So, what do you think will happen when you put your finger on the big dot and say a big OH?

That dot gets bigger and bigger the louder you say it, until it's really really big...

OH!

And if you want to count big ohs, you have to press the dot REALLY hard!

TRY HOPPING.

YES! WITH YOUR FINGERS!

Artist-cum-author Herve' Tullet, inventor of interactive picture books such as Press Here and Mix It Up! has a new wrinkle, sound, in his Say Zoop! (Chronicle, 2017) as youngsters get to whoop it up a bit, even using their "best robot voices," as they tickle the illustrations and activate their own tickleboxes in this clever metabook which makes toymakers out of books, words, and kids. Promises Publishers Weekly, "... noises and frantic activity proliferate, and the pages grow more beautiful as well, with a Mondrian-like palette of basic primaries."

Ride the River of Grass! Everglades National Park by Karina Hamalainen

Florida's Everglades National Park is a superlative place!

Located at the tip of the Sunshine State, it's the farthest south in the U.S. It is the only sub-tropical park in the United States.

It is the wettest, with much of it under water for part of the year, so it's certainly the swampiest!

The Everglades is not the biggest park, but if it were a state, it would be bigger than Delaware.

For variety, the Everglades National Park has plenty to offer. There are swamps which must be explored by canoe or airboat, the famed "River of Grass." There are three types of forests--the pinelands, the hardwood hammocks with mahogany and oak trees, and the cypress domes where rare orchids grow, not in soil, but on the trees.

And unusual animals are everywhere--the rare Florida panther, large wading birds like herons, roseate spoonbills, and egrets, and alligators and crocodiles in the only place in the U.S. where they can be seen together.
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The park is home to about 360 types of birds, 40 types of mammals, 67 types of reptiles and amphibians, and 300 types of fish.

With Ranger Red Fox at the ready to guide young readers through the park, Karina Hamalainen's brand-new Everglades National Park (Rookie National Parks) (Children's Press/Scholastic, 2018) is filled with full-page color photos which illustrate the variety of animals and plants in the interior and the Thousand Islands coastal area, which includes coral keys and mangrove islands. For fishing, boating, and touring the warm waterways, the Everglades is a unique American place, and author Hamalainen's easy reading text and clear organization makes this one very accessible for primary and elementary grades for both geography reports and vacation planning. Included is a map of the Everglades Park, a link to Scholastic Web Site for further information, and and a brief index.

More Fun With Flaps: Hide and Squeak by Veronique Petit

PUPPY'S TAIL IS WAGGING,
AND HE'S BARKING HAPPILY.
HE WANTS TO PLAY A GAME OF FETCH,
BUT WHERE CAN HIS BALL BE?

Puppy wants his ball, and his friend Furry Kitty needs to find a brush for her fluffy tail.

Bunny's on the search for something to munch for lunch, and Bird needs a partner to tweet a duet.

Where do they look for what they seek?

In Petite Boutique Hide and Squeak (Make Believe Ideas/Thomas Nelson, 2018), illustrated by Veronique Petit, there are lots of cute critters, all searching for something, and what they need is a savvy, sharp-eyed preschooler to find what they are looking for, hidden cleverly under sturdy flaps in the pictures in this new little board book. Lift the flaps and VOILA'! There's a ball for puppy, a brush for Kitty, a carrot for Bunny, and a parrot to join Bird in song!

And that's not all! There's Pony to keep Horse company in the barn, hiding behind the hay bale, and for help in finding the source of that squeak, take a peek in that bucket in the barn! This lift-the flap book is also thumb-tabbed to take little searchers to each double-page spread for repeat sleuthing. This one features soft pastel illustrations and offers ways to build tactile abilities and vocabulary along with the seek-and-find fun.

Cool On Ice? Fancy Nancy: Ice Skater Extraordinaire by Krista Tucker

I am practically an expert at skating in my living room. So I thought I would be even better on ice.

Nancy Clancy displays her well-practiced ballet spins and leaps and twirls for little sister JoJo as she gets ready for her first try at ice skating with her best friend Bree, already an experienced skater.

But like almost everyone, Nancy's first step onto the ice in her rented skates is a downer!

I keep falling down!

Nancy's self-image of herself as skater extraordinaire is shattered. Bree tries to be a good friend, encouraging her and predicting that she'll be fine after some practice, but Nancy is dispirited. She wishes she'd never put on those skates!

Mom suggests that she try one of the walkers for beginning skaters until she gets the hang of balancing.

NOT COOL!

Nancy is discouraged.

I told Bree that if I couldn't be an extraordinary skater I just wouldn't be one at all!

Nancy plops down on a bench to sulk and sit this one out, and Bree takes her at her word and heads off to have fun skating on her own.

WAIT! Nancy realizes that she's missing the fun of being with her best friend and decides to give the ice another try, and sure enough, practice makes, if not perfect, at least less painful,) in Krista Tucker's Disney Junior Fancy Nancy: Ice Skater Extraordinaire (HarperFest, 2018). Not created by the original author and illustrator, Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser, this Disney Artist spinoff of the Fancy Nancy franchise lacks some of the visual sparkle and unique charm of the original picture books, but reproduces the style and pluck of the heroine of the popular video series. First-time skaters will find Fancy Nancy's first skating lesson funny and informative.

This new one adds extra COOL to this ice show with a fold-out poster, 75 stickers, and a set of Nancy cards.

Choices, Choices! Can I Keep It? by Lisa Jobe

What boy wouldn't want a squirrel for a pet? Those bright eyes, that fluffy, quirky tail....

But Mom takes a longer view of pet ownership.

"Squirrels like to climb trees and gather acorns," she says.

If you were a squirrel, where would you want to live?"

She's right, the boy thinks as he climbs the tree, and he frees the squirrel from his box-and-stick-and-red string deadfall trap.

He ties the stick with the red string to a dip net and SCHLOOPS up a frog from the pond.

"Mom, if a frog follows me home, can I keep him?"

Mom points out that frogs like to live where they can splish-splash in the pond. The boy puts on his goggles and goes underwater for a frog's-eye view. If he were a frog, where would he like to live?

The same thing happens when he rigs a beat-up old cage to catch a bird. Mom's idea is that the mama bird would probably rather live with her three babies in their nest. Of course, she would.

The boy frees the bird, just as he notices something is playing with the other end of his red string.

CAT!

It hits him instantly.

If I were a stray cat, where would I want to live?

What cat wouldn't want to live with a kindly boy, in Lisa Jobe's lovely forthcoming story of finding just the right pet, Can I Keep It? (Page Street Kids, 2019).

Although Mom is never completely shown in Lobe's illustrations, her emphasis on thinking from the potential pet's point of view introduces the element of empathy to the pet dilemma. Mom obviously has a long view of the scene as well, with a crooked-tailed orange cat visible in the background of many of the pictures, clearly waiting in the wings as the best pet yet for her boy. Youngsters will love going back to track the cat as it edges closer and closer and will rejoice in the final two-page spread in which the cat snoozes at home on the boy's bed, right where he longed to be all along.

Often the best pets are the ones that choose you, says Lisa Lobe, in a well-conceived and well-executed story with delightful and witty mixed media illustrations and a moving theme of making wise choices for yourself and for others.

You Can Feed a Poodle a Noodle, But... Never Feed a Yeti Spaghetti! by Kali Stileman

No fajitas for cheetahs. Well, maybe a few--no more than two!

But no shrimps for chimps. And a whale will always fail to eat his kale. Don't even think about it!

And even his mama won't give a little llama a banana!

But how can a kid resist when every page features a big-mouthed critter (with soft felt teeth that never nip little fingers), non-verbally saying ...

"DO YOU DARE FEED ME??"

Kali Stileman's latest board book, Never Feed a Yeti Spaghetti (Make Believe Ideas, 2018), features charming rhyming advice that entice older tots (and adults) to try their own rhyming duos--(Never feed a horse borscht? Never bake a snake a cake?) and lets younger toddlers have some fun with every page fitted with a big mouth for force-feeding each critter. With some incidental learning opportunities in the way of animal and food naming, this die-cut toy-and-movable book can be a lot of fun for parent and child. Oh, and don't feed a fox your bagel with lox!

Would You Like To Bring Home A Star? Star in the Jar by Sam Hay

My little brother likes looking for treasure.

Kids love to bring home findings--some of it nifty or glittery or colorful, like feathers, or shiny rocks, some of it more in the trash category.

But one day he found something extra special.

So special I thought it must belong to someone else.

Big sister takes charge and asks everyone--the girl at school who knows everything, the lunch ladies, the sheriff, even the fairies-- how to find the proper owner.

Nobody claims the star.

Little brother takes that for an omen that he can keep it.

He put it in a jar and carried it everywhere.

The star grows brighter as night comes on, but somehow it doesn't seem glad to be shut up in the jar. Can he keep it? Yes. But should he?

Little Brother wants to help. He makes a sign.

LOST. ONE SMALL STAR.

But there's no claimant for the sad little star. Could they teach it fly up to the sky? Its little light is so small that perhaps the big stars cannot even spot the missing star from space. Would the lonely little star have to stay in the jar always? Can the kind kids find a way for the star in the jar to phone home?

Yes, they can, in Sam Hay's sweet story of having a "forever friend" in high places, in his Star in the Jar(Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky, 2018), illustrated with gentle charm in the sweet illustrations of Sarah Massini. Says Kirkus Reviews, "Hay carefully keeps an even tone, never letting the whimsy descend into treacle and always maintaining a sense of wonder. Tender and loving."

Concepts A-Board! Numbers Colors Shapes by Roger Priddy

ONE BOAT

TWO RABBITS

THREE BEARS

FOUR DINOSAURS

It's a counting book, counting up to TEN (count 'em) FISH!

But turn the next page and... there are all kinds of colored things! There is an ORANGE carrot and a parrot... and more. And then comes YELLOW ducklings, one banana, and a lemon! And don't forget good old GREEN--leaves, frogs, and grapes. And iconic colors are included: there are PINK flamingos and piglets and BLUE skies and socks!

And then it is time to move on to some basic shapes--squares (like a sandwich) and circles, of course, and then ovals (cf. an egg), stars and diamonds (like a kite).

But there's more than the those standard concepts in Roger Priddy's top-selling padded board book for preschoolers, Numbers Colors Shapes (First 100) (St. Martin's Press/Priddy Books).  Priddy even takes on emotions and feelings, giving a name to youngsters for SAD, HAPPY, HOT,  and COLD .  The author even ventures into concepts such as TIME and PLACE, rounding out this popular concept and vocabulary-building little board book, mixing colorful illustrations and photographs, making this one a concept book that grows from crib to Kindergarten days, especially if bundled with Priddy's hit First 100 companion books, First 100 Words and First 100 Animals.

'Tis the Season! Winter is Here by Kevin Henkes

WINTER IS...

... EVERYWHERE.

Spring, summer, and autumn are gradual changes.

But winter?

It comes and changes everything.

Leaves are not pale green, or deep green, or yellow or red. They are not THERE anymore! And water becomes different! It's downright flaky!

IT'S FALLING FROM THE SKY.

IT'S DRIPPING FROM THE ROOFS.

Winter is icicles hanging from roofs and frost covering windows in amazing patterns.

Winter even changes us! It's what makes people put on lots of clothes to keep from frosting up and freezing into icicles. It turns the whole landscape from colorful to white and/or gray. When winter comes, we know it.

WINTER COMES, AND THEN IT STAYS. AND STAYS, AND STAYS....

But as winter-savvy youngsters soon learn, when it goes... it sneaks away, shrinking little by little, leaving behind little trace mementos of where it's been... slushy snow in the shadows and then icy mud, in Kevin Henkes' look at winter, Winter Is Here (Greenwillow Press, 2018).

Even for children who live in climes where winter is less relentless, the season has a certain loveliness during those dark blue evenings when there's a hint of something soft and fluffy and magical in the air. As in the other books in the Caldecott and Newbery-winning Henkes' little Seasons series, In the Middle of Fall and When Spring Comes (see reviews here, and here), for everything there is a season. Henkes' lyrical prose, illustrated perfectly by Laura Dronzek's lovely illustrations of wintry weather, gives even winter's spare scene a certain beauty. Great as seasonal concept books for primary grades, Henkes' and Dronzek's books are just right for their time.

Shaping UP! Circles and Squares (Baby Einstein) by Scarlett Wing

Cat is blowing bubbles!

All these bubbles are CIRCLES!

But along comes Lily with some blocks! Can Cat finish this SQUARE?

He can!

Cat is kept busy as his friends appear one by one and challenge him to go on to more complex shapes. Zen asks Cat to paint a triangle, and Neptune tempts Cat to dig for treasure, a golden star, while Atlas shows him how to cut out a heart, and Gig teaches him to find a diamond-shaped kite.

It's quite a challenge for those baby geniuses in Scarlett Wing's Baby Einstein: Circles and Squares (Sturdy Lift a Flap Board Book) (Cottage Door Press, 2018), as little fingers are encouraged to find the shapes under the robust flaps in this little shaped board book, which also works in patterns and colors and counting activities along the way. Artist Dan Crisp contributes the colorful cartoon characters which continue as part of the early learning fun. Pair this one with Wing's Baby Einstein: Big and Little (Sturdy Lift a Flap Board Book).

'S No Wonder! Babies in the Snow by Ginger Swift

LET'S MEET BABY ANIMALS IN SNOWY PLACES.

Somebody wants to play with the snow foxes!

Could it be Puff and Pearl, the polar bear twins?

What do they see through that hole in the ice?

Who's that? A whole slew of ... narwhales? WOW! Each is a whale of a whale with a unicorn horn!

But what other whales are swimming in those icy waters?

Baby Beluga and Baby Orca!

And who else is that? Baby Walrus is sunning on the ice with Seal Pup!

There's a whole menagerie of Arctic animals to be found if you know where to look--a glossy white ermine and a shaggy musk ox... and even a sleepy little snow owl, in Ginger Swift's little lift-the-flap board book, Babies in the Snow: Lift-a-Flap Board Book (Babies Love) (Cottage Door Press, 2018). Swift's toy-and-movable book introduces animals of the far north for tots to discover. Who's that? Could it be a caribou? Arctic critters are everywhere, even the snow-white Arctic hare, in this little book, illustrated in just-right cool colors so fetchingly by Ariel Silverstein, which is sized for small fingers to explore.

Counting Curmudgeon! 1 Grumpy Bruce: A Counting Book by Ryan T. Higgins

Take a pair of interloping skunk house sitters, and a trice of messy partying mice, four greedy goslings, five silly squirrels, and some six trudging turtles, and what do you get?

You might say a grumpy old geezer of a bear--except that Bruce the black bear is always crabbv, so how can you tell what peeves him?

It's doesn't help to add numbers of silly squirrels, peeping birdies, prickly porcupines, and even invading elephants! Hey! Wait! Elephants don't even live in the North Woods!

Nine porcupines, wanting hugs?

Really?

But if there's one thing you can count on to make Mother Goose Bruce even more cantankerous, it's more woodland critters invading his den when he's in the mood to hibernate, and author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins can be counted on to pull Bruce's chain with increasing numbers of little forest dwellers and one hopelessly out-of-place elephant in his brand-new board book, 1 Grumpy Bruce: A Counting Board Book (Mother Bruce Series) (Disney Hyperion Books, 2018).

Higgin's humorous sight gags make even counting to ten for toddlers ticklebox material, not to mention educational. Certain silliness and good humor make this concept book a good way to introduce Higgins' jolly picture books (see reviews here) to lucky preschoolers, as well as Higgin's Mother Goose Bruce best sellers (reviews here).

They GO in the Snow! Small Walt and Mo the Tow by Elizabeth Verdick

A bitter blizzard,

A snowbound town!

Get ready, plows!

The lazy, hazy days of summer are gone; the snow is flying, and it's time for Small Walt the little snowplow and Big Gus, his crusty, trusty driver, to bestir themselves and hit the roads, which are now filling up with snow and freezing into ice--fast!

We're Gus and Walt.

We plow and salt.

We clear the snow

So cars can go.

Small Walt is a veteran now, with one big snow already under his fanbelt, and Gus has many a snowy season to boast of, so they proudly push the drifts aside and spread salt to melt the ice as they as they make their way about the town, cheerfully smooshing the slush.

But just ahead they helplessly watch a car swerving on an uncleared road and then...

FWUMP!

The car lurches off the road and down into the snowy woods.

Little Walt realizes that his snow scoop is not up to the job. It's not tough enough to get that car back on the road.

Who you gonna call?

MO THE TOW!

With a humma brumma hum, Mo arrives to scope out the situation.

But Sue, Mo's driver, sees that the ice is too slick. Mo's big tires can't get a grip! Even Mo can't go in icy snow!

What do they need? TEAM WORK!

Gus steers Walt carefully so that he can scoop the snow away and salt the area. And soon the way is open for Sue and Mo the Tow to do their job and get that car back on track!

It's Gus and Walt and Mo and Sue, the winning crew, in Elizabeth Verdick's second book in her series, Small Walt and Mo the Tow (Simon and Schuster, 2018). Ace artist Mark Rosenthall offers up jolly retro anthropomorphic illustrations of the doughty little snowplow who could, even if he sometimes gets by with a little help from his friends. He's a plow and salter who never falters, in a delightful new snow tale of working together. Mo and Walt and Gus and Sue are a trusty team of two vehicles who keep on truckin'. Share this one with Verdick's first Walt story, Small Walt, (read review here) for a pair of snowy day winter winners.

"Three dynamic duos: Gus and Walt; Sue and Mo; Verdick and Rosenthal,” says Kirkus in their starred review.

Heavenly Peace: Silent Night by Lara Hawthorne

Silent Night, Holy Night...

The simple story of the beloved Christmas carol tells of the pastor of a small Austrian church who finds his organ disabled by a nibbling mouse the day before the Christmas Eve service. Pastor Mohr quickly composes a simple song that could be sung by his congregation to the single accompaniment of his friend Franz Gruber's guitar, and the rest is history.

That song, "Silent Night," became a Christmas classic and is the sole text of Lara Hawthorne's new addition to the publisher's Christmas Choir series, Silent Night (Quarto/Lincoln Books, 2018).

Artist Hawthorne's gentle faux-naif illustrations are done in pale pastels done in gouache and set against a flat black sky in which the Star of Bethlehem sheds its light. Into that lovely scene the holy family passes through the land to the stable in the city, waited upon by its animals, as the shepherds are visited by a heavenly host of angels and, like the three kings from the east, all led by the Star, to the stable. The story passes like a Christmas pageant, moving from left to right through the landscape of the book, widening at last to a view of the quaintly pictured town of Bethlehem, directed by the words of the beloved carol.

Author Hawthorne includes an appendix, a history of the song, "About the Carol," and the complete lyrics to the song.

"Stunning illustrations bring new life to a well-loved Christmas carol," says Kirkus Reviews.

'S NO Trick! How to Catch A Snowman by Adam Wallace

I don't thumpity thump or give warm hugs,
That's for my friends to do.
These clever kids will try to trap me,
But who will catch me.... YOU?

Of course the kids will give the chase their very best effort!

They try to coax Snowman onto the ice for a fun hockey game and trap him in the goalie cage, but he's too fast for them to score!

The kids strap on the skis for a downhill run, but Snowman's slalom outruns them, and on the ice his spins are twice as nice as theirs. And when they try to trick him into picking up some of their snowman snacks, ...he just makes tracks!

I'm glad I'm free, it's true.

But I can leave a gift for you!

That just how Snowman rolls, and the kids have to settle for Snowman's super SNOWMAN SCULPTURE conciliation prize in Adam Wallace's latest How to Catch book, How to Catch a Snowman, (Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky, 2018). Andy Elkerton's icy, snowy illustrations are lively and wintry, and as always, Snowman is up to the chase. The kids may not catch their quarry once more, but by now in this catchy series, they probably are not surprised. Other books in this series include How to Catch a Monster and Wallace's hit Christmasy chase story, How to Catch an Elf.

Not Lost for Long! Reindeer's Nosy Christmas by Kali Stileman

REINDEER'S LOST IN THE SNOW.

"MY NOSE WILL SHOW ME WHERE TO GO!"

There's something orange ahead. Is it Santa's carrot cookies?

No, it's a snowman's CARROT NOSE!

What's that fluffy white stuff? Santa's bushy beard?

Nope! That white hair belongs to a POLAR BEAR!

What Reindeer spies are some twinkly eyes. Could they belong to St. Nick?

No way. That's a fuzzy fowl called an OWL!

There are plenty of touch-and-feel experiences along the way as Reindeer hones in on the real object of his search--Santa Claus--waiting with a big plate of lumpy, bumpy cookies as a reward, in Kali Stileman's tactile story in her new Christmas touch-and-feel board book,Reindeer's Nosy Christmas (Thomas Nelson/Make Believe Ideas, 2018) The fun starts with Reindeer's big, liquid-filled transparent nose filled with tiny foil stars which follow the finger and swirl intriguingly with the movement of a finger. More tactile sensations follow on the way as Reindeer follows the clues that cue him in that he's on the right track to find Santa.

Preschool Picture Dictionary! First 100 Christmas Words by Roger Priddy

HOLLY, IVY, WREATH, CANDLE, GARLANDS

"The holly and the ivy, when both are now full-grown!" The first signs of the coming of Christmas are all those things used to "deck the halls," the special greenery of the season, in Roger Priddy's little stocking-stuffer board book dictionary of Christmas time, First 100 Christmas Words (St. Martin's Press, 2018)

Up goes the tree, with lights and ornaments, and stars or angels on top.

And with that done, it is time for letters to Santa and wrapping paper for the gifts. Where's that tape when you need it? It's right there, too.

There's a feast to plan for. Will it be ham or turkey? There are candy canes, chocolate coins, and cakes and cookies with the scent of ginger and cinnamon. Maybe there's even some snow and sleds!

At last it is time for Santa to come down the chimney! Finally it's the night before Christmas. Hang the stockings by the fireplace and then it's on with the pajamas and off to bed for that long winter's nap.

And when dawn breaks on Christmas Day, there are the TOYS--trains, trucks, tricycles, Teddy bears, toy drums, dolls, and presents to open, and maybe this little picture dictionary for toddlers to learn the words of the season. Organized in order of the activities of the holiday season, little ones can learn the vocabulary of Christmas as it happens, and even the youngest can point to the pictures as each word is said. This is a great little board book to have on hand for the whole holiday time.

Join the Search? Where's Santa Claus? by Ingela P. Arrhenius

Santa seems to be everywhere at Christmas, but it is still fun to try to spot him, along with the usual snowbound Christmas crew at the North Pole.

A POLAR BEAR? Where?

There he is, hiding behind that bright red felt flap!

Now, can we find a jolly SNOW MAN? Where can he be?

And then Santa must have an elf or two hiding somewhere there. Where can she be....?

And now it's time to find the jolly guy in the red suit. WHERE, OH, WHERE... do we look? Maybe behind that soft green Christmas tree?

Introducing very little ones to the symbols of the season can be lots of fun in Ingela P. Arrhenius' newest, Where's The... board book, Where's Santa Claus? (Where's The) (Nosy Crow, 2018). The latest in this board book series for the very youngest features liftable flaps made from soft colorful felt that are easy for even babies under a year old to manipulate, with bright and colorful discoveries hiding under each one. And that other important person in the scene, the little reader, gets to lift the flap and see--himself or herself in the MIRROR on the last page. Who's that?

YOU!

For the very youngest Christmas celebrant, this jolly little toy-and-movable book is just the stocking stuffer for a first Christmas.

With A Little Help From My Friends: The Polar Bear Wish by Lori Evert

Long, long ago, so high in the mountains and close to the stars that on a clear night you don't need a lantern, lived an adventurous girl named Anya.

It is almost Christmas, and little Anya wishes for a sled for her dog Birki to to take her to the big Christmas party, which promises games and dances and treats. And when her cousin Erik appears with his sled pulled by his dog Bria, Anya happily hitches Birki up with Bria, and the two are off through the snowy Scandinavian scene. But a sudden blizzard strands the two children, where they are led by friendly wolves to shelter overnight in the storm.

To add to their problems, a little polar bear named Tiny appears, lost from his mother, and Anya and Eric are diverted from their journey to reunite the little bear with his family, a magical trek through fantastic icy fjords to a ice palace where they rest overnight. But can they find Tiny's mother and still make it to the Christmas party?

In true fantasy fiction style, they do. Mother Bear and Tiny are reunited, and Anya and Eric feast and dance through the long Arctic night, in Lori Evert's second book, The Polar Bear Wish (A Wish Book) (Random House, 2018). Although Per Breiehagen's striking Nordic photos of his and Evert's own daughter are as charmingly appealing as in their earlier The Reindeer Wish (Wish Series), there's a bit of cognitive dissonance between the realistic photos and the fantastical storyline--offset a little by the trusty old ambivalent ending in which Anya awakes in her own bed ...

...to wonder if it all was a dream....

And for those who dote on truly snowy Scandinavian Christmas images, share this new one with Jan Brett's famous folkloric artwork in her The Three Snow Bears and The Wild Christmas Reindeer.