Miracles: Long Ago on a Silent Night by Julie Berry

Long ago and far away

A baby was born on Christmas Day.

This wonder was seen by a lucky few.

I see a miracle in you.

Julie Berry's lovely family Nativity story, Long Ago, On a Silent Night (Scholastic/Orchard Books, 2019), brings together the wondrous birth in the stable and the birth of a modern child. Both are miracles of a a very different and yet wonderful kind, gifts of love to both. The traditional Nativity story is juxtaposed with the birth of a son to a couple with all the wonder that a child brings to a family.

Long ago, in a dusty barn

A mother took her child in her arms.

as their gift that Christmas Day.

Wondrous, holy, strange and true.

?

tle one, my miracle is you.

ustrated with gorgeous full-page color paintings by Annie Won, this holiday book by the Michael Prinz award-winning Julie Berry makes a meaningful gift to a new family, a legacy book to read during the season of Nativity every year. "A story of welcome, brimming with joy," says Publishers Weekly.

Friendship Blendship: Mistletoe--a Christmas Story by Tad Hills

MISTLETOE GREETS THE CHILLY MORNING! SNOW IS FALLING. FINALLY IT FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS!

In her bright red boots, mittens and coat and green plaid scarf, Mistletoe loves walking in the snow and can't wait to get her friend Norwell to enjoy it with her.

But Norwell the elephant doesn't like the cold snow. Instead, he invites Mistletoe in for a warm cup of tea, and they spend the day trimming Norwell's Christmas tree. Mistletoe gets her snowy walk going back home as the world fills with snow and the evening turns blue. She still wishes Norwell would walk with her.

But the next day Mistletoe has an idea. She climbs up to the attic and brings down boxes and boxes of yarn left over from projects.

"YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH YARN!" SHE SAYS.

Mistletoe knits nonstop, finding out that it IS possible to need more yarn, which she goes out in the snow to buy.

She knits everywhere, even in the bathtub! At last she folds up her knitting, and loads it up on her sled and walks to Norwell's house, still hoping for a walk in the snow with her friend. Norwell greets her with a gift, his painting of her in the snow. Perfect!

It 'snow surprise to young readers what happens next, in Tad Hills' brand-new Yuletide yarn, Mistletoe: A Christmas Story (Schwartz and Wade, 2020), a happy story of a mouse and elephant in the mold of unlikely friends who find a way to honor each other and their differences, which satisfyingly concludes with a warm-hearted Chrismasy stroll in the snow. Tad Hills' charming illustrations make this one a great gift of a holly-jolly holiday tale. Author-illustrator Tad Hills is also the top-selling creator of How Rocket Learned to Read and sequels and his delightful Duck & Goose series.

Grumpy Grinch! Santa Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Bruce was a bear who didn't like the holidays.

He used to stay in bed all winter and skip right through the whole business.

But that was back in the good old days before Bruce involuntarily became Mother Bruce Goose, foster parent to three goslings with other ideas about ways to while away the winter.

The goslings and their critter friends demand a cozy holiday family togetherness that is just what Bruce doesn't want for the winter. His goslings had already gotten busy decking the halls, while the mice stirred up some tasty eggnog. What fun! What cheer! What a beautiful Christmas tree!

Bruce didn't like fun. Bruce didn't like cheer.

And he didn't like cold weather. Bruce pulled out his long red flannel underwear and sleeping cap.

Big mistake!

"Are you SANTA CLAUS?" asked a big-eyed little 'coon kid.

And before he knows it, the goslings had lined up the moppets and Bruce was taking little bunnies and raccoons on his knees, listening to their silly Christmas wish lists. To get rid of them, he promised them whatever toys they asked for.

But at last the talkative tots left and Bruce was just headed for his cozy bed when ...

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! All the parents wanted to thank Bruce for his Christmas spirit. They left, shouting with glee.

Bruce didn't like glee.

But what about the poor little disappointed children?

The goslings and the mice insisted that Bruce cannot disappoint all the children. Will Santa Claus Bruce make his midnight ride?

BAH! HUMBUG! was the word, as the goslings got in harness, flapping wildly, and the wagon on skids lifted off with Santa Bruce reluctantly aboard, in Ryan T. Higgins' latest in his Mother Bruce series, Santa Bruce (Mother Bruce Series) (Disney Hyperion Books, 2018). There's a plentitude of slapstick sight gags, as Santa Bruce get stuck in chimneys and chars the seat of his red underwear pants on the way down, and plenty of dry humor as the goslings ensure that nobody has a niggardly Noel despite their curmudgeonly Father Christmas, Santa Bruce.

Other books in this not-to-be-missed, top-selling series are Mother Bruce, Hotel Bruce (Mother Bruce), and Bruce's Big Move (Mother Bruce) (see reviews here).

The Santa Trap: How to Catch Santa by Jean Reagan

IT'S FINALLY CHRISTMAS EVE, AND THAT'S WHEN YOU TRY TO CATCH SANTA.

Mind you, this brother-and-sister conspiracy are not aiming to hold Santa hostage. That would be the end of Christmas as we know it. They know that Santa has a lot of stops to make, but there are some questions that generations of kids have been waiting to ask their special saint.

Like this biggy:

WHAT ABOUT HOUSES WITH NO CHIMNEYS?

But like the famous recipe for rabbit stew, before you ask those questions, you've first got to snag a Santa. Forget the silly schemes. You don't lasso Santa with last year's cowboy lariat! You don't dig a dead fall trap in the snow! No!

INSTEAD, BE CRAFTY! BE GENTLE!

Perhaps you won't actually catch Santa--or even catch a glimpse of jolly Old Saint Nick! Still, if you are clever, you can rig it so that you have clues that Santa was really and truly there!

WRITE SANTA A NOTE AND FILL IT WITH GLITTER!

But if you want more than a glittery trail for evidence of Santa's visit, you're going to want to see him in the flesh. And that means you've got to figure out how to stay awake all night. Pull out all your old games and keep playing by the light of the Christmas tree's glow. But stay quiet and listen for the telltale sounds of sleigh bells so you can zip to your hiding place for your Santa observations. And if you still fall asleep and miss the whole show, well....

"There's always next year," in Jean Reagan's How to Catch Santa (Alfred A. Knopf, 2016). Reuniting with artist Lee Wildish, Reagan takes on concocting the really serious how-to that all children have wished for, how to stay up and see Santa on the job. Even in the granddaddy of all "seeing Santa" stories, Clement C. Moore's The Night Before Christmas, Classic Edition by Clement C. Moore, (1995-01-02) it's the ever-protective and vigilant dad who really discovers St. Nicholas on the job. But that won't stop kids from conspiring to spot Santa, and who better to provide advice than Reagan and Wildish, whose earlier how-to-books, How to Raise a Mom, How to Surprise a Dad, How to Babysit a Grandpa, and How to Babysit a Grandma, have been top sellers. And for slightly younger would-be Santa spotters, there's always that evergreen Christmas classic, Rosemary Well's Max's Christmas (Max and Ruby).

You Can Call Me Sandy! Santa Claws, The Christmas Crab by Priscilla Cummings

NO, THIS CHRISTMAS EVE IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY

WAS NOT GOING TO PASS IN THE USUAL WAY.

Spud the insomniac crab finds it boring to sleep all winter in the mud at the bottom of the Bay. He rouses the snoozing crabs and eels for some midwinter fun.

Up on shore, the children are snug in their beds, trying to snooze so that they won't lose the chance for Santa's drop-in visit. The carols are sung, the stockings are hung, and now it's time for .... that visit from St. Nick.

But under the bay, there's a bit of a St. Nick imposter!

A CRAB DRESSED AS SANTA--A SANTA WITH CLAWS!
IT YOU MET THIS SANTA, WOULD YOU KNOW WHO IT WAS?

HE WINKED AND HE CHUCKLED. HIS PINCERS WENT CLICK!

WHY, NO ONE WOULD GUESS THIS CRAB WASN'T ST. NICK!

Spud improvises a Santa suit of a sort, a soggy red sock lost by some fisherman folds into a cap, some lost waterman's gloves bulk up his legs, along with waterlogged waders lost by some oystering watermen, and with a cherry for a nose (don't ask!), he rounds up the Bay Bottom Band and soon the denizens of the sea are decking the deep and following Santa Claws in merry measure for a cool Yule party.

But up on the shore the expected visit from Saint Nicholas is not going by the book!

REAL SANTA CALLED "HELP!" AS HIS SLEIGH CIRCLED TWICE.
BEFORE TRYING TO LAND ONCE AGAIN ON THE ICE.

Real Santa's GPS must be out of whack and he's grounded and off course. Oh, what to do?

Santa Claws rises to the occasion (and the surface of the Bay) with an offer Santa can't refuse!

"I CAN SHOW YOU THE WAY!
I KNOW EVERY INCH OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY."

REAL SANTA SAID, "FINE! MISTER CRAB, HAVE A SEAT!
PLEASE SHOW US THE WAY. I'VE A DEADLINE TO MEET!"

Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer has nothing on this sandy Santa Claws, as the Christmas Crab directs the sleigh to its midnight destinations, and St. Nick arrives right on time to make the season merry and bright for the Chesapeakean children. It's a pun with a mission, in Priscilla Cummings' Santa Claws: The Christmas Crab (Schiffer Publishing). Cummings' clever couplets with rollicking rhymes dress up the familiar storyline of Santa's impromptu helper, and Marcy Dunn Ramsey's blackline drawings of her Santa Claws is pure punny fun.

'S No Go for Snow! No Snow for Christmas by Jill Kalz

FAWN BRAUN HAD NEVER BEEN SO WORRIED.

TOMORROW WAS CHRISTMAS EVE, AND ALL OF PFEFFERNUT COUNTY LAY BROWN, DULL, AND DUSTY.

Fawn is a fretter.

Apparently it's been a warm and dry fall in her little town on the prairie, and though the downtown diner and the dry goods store are decorated for the holiday, Fawn is in a funk because there's no snow in sight.

She's got a point. It's not your postcard-pretty scene.

DRY WEEDS POKED FROM THE DITCHES LIKE OLD BROOM BRISTLES...

Pfeffernut County is definitely lacking in winter wonderland awesomeness.

A STRAWMAN INSTEAD OF A SNOWMAN?

DIRT ANGELS INSTEAD OF SNOW ANGELS?

Fawn grumps to her mother about it. 'S no problem, Mom maintains.

"THE SNOW WILL COME WHEN IT'S READY."

The rest of the townspeople seem not too concerned, but Fawn is a proactivist.

She addresses the town meeting with her take on the big problem, pointing out that in her considered opinion, unless they act Christmas will skip right over the county and settle on their rival, Hoogledoo Falls.

Christmas will be a dust bust!

With intra-city status at stake, the mayor calls for a committee--a meeting at Fawn's family's farm to formulate action plans for snow-making.

The concerned citizens show up with their alternatives. Louie blows crushed chalk, flour, and powdered sugar on the ground, but Fawn finds it little better than the dust they already have to deal with. Farmer Cap and his bi-plane crop duster drop popcorn. Not soft and fluffy like snow, says Fawn. Other farmers roll out the combines and blow cotton balls and marshmallows all around. Fluffy, but not sparkly, Fawn scoffs. Little Lina blows bubbles. But not cold, Fawn complains.

But, as we know, in the way of stories, Christmas can come without a Santa Claus, without presents, and definitely without snow, and despite fussy Fawn, Christmas comes to Pfeffernut County right on time in Jill Kalz's No Snow for Christmas (Pfeffernut County) (Capstone, 2015) and it was. . .

...THE MERRIEST EVER SEEN!

Kalz's tale is a pointed little parable about being a perfectionist about Christmas, and artist Sahin Erbocak uses a variety of perspectives and some vintage scenes of farmhouses and two-toned, tail-finned Buicks to set the quaint rural scene as Fawn learns that she can count on Christmas even if it's a no go for the snow.

Share this one with a couple of the classics of calamitous Christmases threatened with a closing, Phyllis McGinley's The Year without a Santa Claus and Dr. Seuss's evergreen How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Classic Seuss).

Tree Time! Dream Snow by Eric Carle

A rotund farmer does his evening chores, feeding his five farm animals--Horse, Cow, Sheep, Pig, and Rooster--and heading gratefully back to his cottage. There he spreads some honey on bread, and with a cup of peppermint tea, plops heavily into his favorite chair.

Soon he's resting in front of the fire!

"HEAVENS!" HE SAID. "IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS AND IT HASN'T SNOWED YET!"

Soon he's dozing and dreaming of snow.

In his dream he imagines his farm animals, called One, Two, Three, Four, and Five, sleeping in the snow-blanketed shed.

Suddenly, the farmer wakes and sees the snow outside.

"OH, ME! OH, MY! I ALMOST FORGOT!"

He suits up for an expedition outside--boots, fur lined cap, red coat and green gloves, and tossing a sack over his shoulders, he soldiers through the snow to the barn, where he unpacks his sack and assembles--a small Christmas tree with sparkling lights, colored balls and tinsel, under which he places gifts for One, Two, Three, Four, and Five.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

In what may be his only Christmas story, Eric Carle's Dream Snow (Philomel Books, 2015) is out in a revised new edition as a board book. The acetate overlays of nightfall and falling snow in the original full-sized picture book are replaced here with sturdy flaps for younger fingers which open to reveal the animals sleeping in their stalls and what is hidden inside the farmer's pack. Although the white-whiskered farmer bears a striking resemblance to St. Nick, there's no hint of a sleigh trip ahead, just the simple gifts of the holiday. This one is perfect for preschoolers to share during Yuletide.

Break A Leg? The Nutcracker's Night Before Christmas by Keith Brockett

A children's production of The Nutcracker is set to take to the boards on Christmas Eve. The theater's stately marquee is all a-light and a-glitter, like the stars above.

BUT BACKSTAGE THE MOOD WAS UNCERTAIN AND STRESSED.

DISASTER HAD STRUCK AS THE DAY PROGRESSED.

First,  the programs come back from the printer with the title of the show misspelled as THE NUTSNACKER!

But things only get worse as time for the curtain to rise draws near. The wardrobe mistress finds the costumes a mess. It seems the company's cat has shredded the tights and torn all the tutus. The stagehands have all called in sick, leaving no one to pull the curtains or shift the sets.

THE SPOTLIGHTS HAD FALLEN--THE STAGE WAS LEFT DIM.
AND CLARA SPELLED GRAPE JUICE ALL OVER THE SCRIM..

Someone breaks the most important prop--the Nutcracker itself--and then the Christmas tree in the center of the opening party scene crashes to the stage. Nobody thinks it's safe to deliver the traditional Thespian blessing "Break a leg!" to the cast. It might happen!

It looks like the curtain is not going to rise for the beloved Christmas play.

Unless...

THE SET BEGAN SHAKING AND THEN THE STAGE, TOO!
UNTIL OLD ST. NICK BURST FROM THE CHIMNEY FLUE.

The show must go on, and it's Santa and his retinue who arrive just in the, er, nick of time to save the performance. The elves, experts at expediting, get busy fixing everything, and the play takes the boards after all, with the Sugar Plum Fairy arriving, not in her sparkly carriage, but in Santa's sleigh!

For kids who are familiar with the meter and rhyme scheme of Clement Clarke Moore's A Visit from St. Nicholas, or The Night Before Christmas hardcover: The Classic Edition, The New York Times bestseller, and the story line of that seasonal performance, The Nutcracker, Keith Brockett's new The Nutcracker's Night Before Christmas (Sleeping Bear Press, 2015) is a jolly storytime amalgam of the two Christmastime classics. Brockett wields the familiar verse form ably to tell the tale of the performance that almost didn't happen, and Joseph Cowman's retro-styled child actors and Santa and his cohorts are just as jolly as can be as they save the play and the day.  The author appends a brief history of the Nutcracker Ballet and a glossary of stage terms such as scrim and cue. As Publisher's Weekly says, "The familiar rhyme and rhythm of "The Night Before Christmas" serve as the structure for this clever melding of two beloved holiday stories."

A Visit from Manta Claus? The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

A GIFT SHOULD HAVE MEANING,

PLUS A BIT OF BLING-ZING,

SO I'LL SHOP TILL I DROP

FOR EACH JUST-RIGHT THING!

Pout-Pout Fish has a problem. He is a perfectionist, and his search for the perfect big and bright gift for each of his pescatory friends fails, he lapses into a pout.

The stores are filled with fancy things, but none of them seem fitting for Miss Shimmer and his other special friends. His favorite aquatic shoppe, Ahab's, has a myriad of merchandise, and the banners proclaim everything from...

PEG LEGS TO SCALE POLISH!

But the bling has lost its zing. Mr. Fish's eyes are dazzled, but his mood grows frazzled. He proceeds with his shopping, until it grows dark and the last shop is in sight. But what he sees is a sign that gives him the gloomy glums.

WE'RE CLOSED!

He's got nothing! Will he have to skip the Christmas shindig altogether? Mr. Fish sinks into a first-class sulk.

Then he has a thought.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO START

FOR THE BEST GIFTS COME FROM THE HEART.

In her latest Pout-Pout Adventure our favorite down-in-the-mouth fish rises to the occasion with his own fin-made creations after all, in Deborah Diesen's The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish (A Pout-Pout Fish Adventure) (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015). With versatile verses and a Christmas message that even the Grinch couldn't find fault with, Pout-Pout comes through with the perfect present for everyone after all. Diesen's talented collaborator, artist Dan Hanna provide the very merry eye-candy illustrations that add much to the final festive outcome, and the Christmas party is a deep-water delight after all.

Snow Job: Harold at the North Pole by Crockett Johnson

IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE, AND HAROLD HAD TO HAVE A CHRISTMAS TREE BEFORE SANTA CLAUS CAME.

SO HE SET OUT FOR THE NORTH WOODS.

Traveling is easy for Harold, who takes out his famous purple crayon and draws himself the Big Dipper to steer by. And as he trudges north through a blizzard, he creates a snowman, and when his snow guy looks shivery, Harold gives him his own red muffler to wear.

And when the snow piles up so deep that Harold can't tell where he is, he draws himself a purple candy-cane North Pole. Figuring Santa's workshop must be near, he shinnies up the Pole to get his bearings. Then he draws a chimney and slides down into the Claus family workshop, where he helps Santa out by drawing him an extra large sleigh and a team of purple reindeer for his big trip.

HAROLD WOULD HAVE LIKED TO RIDE WITH SANTA, BUT HE STILL NEEDED A CHRISTMAS TREE.

Hey, wait! Harold doesn't need to find the perfect evergreen tree as long as he has his purple crayon! Decorations? No problem for an artist like Harold, who heads home and draws the tree, the decorations, his stocking, and a cozily warm fireplace to hang it from. Now he's ready to wait up for Santa.

Millions of children have grown up enjoying the many adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon (Purple Crayon Books), and Harold's Christmas Eve adventure is just as fresh and charming as always, in this brand-new edition of Harold at the North Pole (Harper Books, 2015 (rev. ed.) by Crockett Johnson. Perhaps the creator of the concept of the "metafiction" picture book, the Caldecott-winning Johnson offers us that purple crayon that's just as ever-sharp and an imaginative little artist who is just as creative as ever--in a Christmas story that has truly become evergreen.

CAUTION: GINGERBREAD MAN X-ING!! The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas by Laura Murray

ONE WHITE SNOWY MORNING, I POPPED FROM MY BED.
"WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD!" I SAID.

THE CLASSROOM WAS DECORATED IN COLORED LIGHTS,
TWINKLING IN REDS, GREENS, AND WHITES.

The fall semester is swinging into winter. The class has completed their study of Community Helpers, and Teacher has an idea that will morph that unit right into the holiday season.

"IT'S THE SEASON FOR GIVING
AND WE CAN GIVE, TOO.

OUR GIFTS SHOULD BE SOMETHING
WE MAKE, SAY, OR DO!"

The teacher has the kids busy making seasons greeting cards or treats for those community helpers--the police lady, the librarian, the garbage collector, and the rest--who they have visited with or who have visited them in their classroom, and then they'll take a walking field trip downtown to see the town decorations and deliver their cards in person. What festive fun!

The Gingerbread Man makes his own special card for the baker who baked him, but he gets separated from the group as they hike toward town. But after all, he's the Gingerbread Man, and gingerbread men are especially good at running--running away, in his case. A slushy snow is falling, and he knows the damp is a danger to crispy cookies, but still, he IS a mighty Gingerbread Man.

“I’LL HOBBLE RIGHT OVER, AS FAST AS I CAN.

Gingerbread Man is one tough cookie, but as he trudges through the wet snow, he notices that his feet are getting seriously soggy. But at last he spies the sign he's seeking: BAKE SHOP.

And when he slogs inside the shop, the baker notices his problem immediately and has a quick fix for crumbling feet. It so happens the baker has a pot of melted chocolate all ready to decorate some goodies, so like the helper he is, he dunks the Gingerbread Man's tootsies in a quick dark chocolate dip for his trip, giving him galoshes that definitely won't melt on the way back to school.

"THAT'LL KEEP YOUR FEET COZY AND LOOK REALLY COOL!"

Laura Murray's third story of the Gingerbread Man, The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2015) has the class mascot getting into his usual runaway scene, all set in jolly rhyming couplets with speech balloons to boot, while artist Mike Lowery sets off the story in comic book-style panels, all bright with the symbols of the season-- tinsel-wrapped trees, candy cane stripes, and Santa Claus caps--and concluding with a special card for their teacher:

"NOW THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'RE SMART COOKIES, TOO,
WE MADE YOU A SUPER GIGANTIC "THANK YOU!"

"...The smart cookies who appreciated the character's previous adventures will eat this one up," says School Library Journal.

Other stories is this series are the classic first-day-of-school story, The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School (see my 201l review here) and the field trip tale, The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck.

The Santa Claus Trap! How to Catch Santa by Jean Reagan

AFTER WAITING FOR DAYS AND DAYS, IT'S FINALLY CHRISTMAS EVE.

AND THAT'S WHEN YOU TRY TO CATCH SANTA.

All kids dream of more than sugarplums on Christmas Eve. They all harbor the hope of catching a peep at Santa going about his duties under the Christmas tree.

This brother and sister are sure they can come up with a scheme to have a few magical moments with Santa. But they rule out the rough stuff. No deadfall traps or lasso loops dropping on Mr. S. Claus. He's a busy old guy on a tight schedule.

BE CRAFTY! BE CLEVER! BE GENTLE!

But these siblings have a few questions for Santa. What do you do about houses with no chimneys? How do you find kids who are away on trips at Christmas? How do you do what you do in the dark?

Sis and brother have a clever and crafty plan. They write Santa a nice thank-you note and seal it up in an envelope with some bright red glitter. When he opens it up, he'll get a dusting of red sparkles and leave a trail behind him everywhere he goes. Even if they don't catch a glimpse of St Nick, they'll gather a lot of clues about his gift-giving M.O. Leave carrots conveniently placed around, and if they disappear overnight, they'll know Santa's reindeer have been there.

But after the holiday songs are sung, and Mom and Dad have reminisced about their own Christmas Eve tactics and sent everyone off with a "to all a goodnight," here comes the big challenge. The whole idea is to stay awake on Christmas Eve until Santa comes.

SHH! LISTEN FOR SANTA SOUNDS--SLEIGH BELLS, REINDEER WHINNIES, ELF GIGGLES!

But what about that bugaboo, the old Christmas Catch-22?

SANTA WON'T COME UNTIL YOU ARE ASLEEP!

Drat! Foiled again, in Jean Reagan's How to Catch Santa (Alfred A. Knopf Books, 2015), as the kids fall a-snooze listening quietly for Santa sounds. But at least they'll have that trail of red glitter to track on Christmas morning, and along with their new toys, there is circumstantial evidence that Santa did manage to outwit them once more. Author Jean Reagan and artist Lee Wildish, the creators of their hits, How to Babysit a Grandma, How to Babysit a Grandpa, and How to Surprise a Dad (see reviews here), come together again in a funny story about conspiring to spy on Santa. A lively narrative and comic images of kids imagining how to snag Santa make for fun holiday reading and lead to many more "t'was the night before Christmas" stories, beginning with Clement Clark Moore's classic catching-St.-Nicholas tale.

Pair this one with David Bedford's I've Seen Santa! (review here). And for younger scheming siblings, don't overlook Rosemary Wells' always wonderful Max's Christmas (Max and Ruby).

CHIMNEY HAZARD! Click, Clack, Ho! Ho! Ho! by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

SNOW IS FALLING.

LIGHTS TWINKLE.

A FEW CREATURES ARE STIRRING.

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE.

And there's a portentious jingle in the air over at the old Brown place. Farmer Brown is hanging stockings--labeled SHEEP, one COWS, PIGS, CHICKENS, and even one for MICE. The halls are decked and the mice are pleased as they peep from their holes, miming a shhhhhhhh! to Mr. Brown.

Duck, disguised as a lineman for the county, is high atop a utility pole, tool belt and all, watching for a certain airborne visitor, and at the sounding of jingling bells, he shoots down a zipline to Farmer Brown's snow-topped chimney. Donning his handy night vision goggles, he surveys the sky and spots a sleigh approaching in the distance.

HO! HO! HO!

Duck ducks down the chimney, taking the the short route to alert Farmer Brown. But...

UH-OH!

Duck is STUCK!

This is embarrassing! Santa's sleigh and reindeer are silhouetted against the full moon, and the watching farm animals roll into action.

THE COWS COME UP TO UNSTICK DUCK.

HO! HO! HO!

UH-OH!

This is an emergency! The pigs give it a try, but they lodge in the chimney. The chickens, goats, cat, dog, and mice come to help, but they all wind up stuck in the now over-stuffed smokestack!

OH, NO!

This is a job for a professional! Santa Claus never gets stuck in chimneys, and in clouds of soot, Duck and his pals pop out of Farmer Brown's chimney just ahead of St. Nick, in Doreen Cronin's jolly tale of Farmer Brown's chimney, Click, Clack, Ho! Ho! Ho! (Atheneum Books, 2015). Betsy Lewin's classic comic farm animals are a holiday gift in themselves, Duck in Santa hat and night-sight glasses, with similarly attired keyboarding chickens following suit, are just silly enough to have young readers in stitches, and Farmer Brown, relaxing in his long, red, fur-trimmed dressing gown throwing up the window sash to see Santa's approach, provides just the right touch of merry measure for pre-Christmas Eve reading.

"Cronin and Lewin make this slapstick story all their own, leaving readers... with a big dose of holiday cheer," says School Library Journal.