SnowPig! Merry Christmas, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton

Clad in matching green and red plaid, Mama and her little piglet are keeping watch by the window. Two things are about to happen, and Mama Pig can't wait to introduce Pookie, her cute little porker, to both of them.

"POOKIE! COME LOOK! IT'S BEGINNING TO SNOW!

Pookie puts on his snowsuit in a trice, and Mama promises that a walk in the fresh snow is magical! But Pookie finally admits that it's also freezing!

"I'M C-C-C-COLD!"

Mama Pig agrees that they don't want their snouts frozen, and the two head inside, where there's more seasonal fun on the schedule--starting with making some Christmas garlands and putting out some bright holiday lights. Then there's just time to pop some special cookies in the oven. They are just smelling yummy, when... Pookie hears the doorbell!

OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY HAVE ARRIVED FOR THE SINGING!

The halls are decked and it's time for some FA-LA-LAs with a family-and-friends sing-along. Pookie loves the celebration, but all too soon he's a pooped little piglet, and soon it's time for his piggie pajamas and a cozy long winter's nap.

And, of course, in the morning there will be presents to unwrap, in Sandra Boynton's newest Pookie Pig tale, Merry Christmas, Little Pookie (Little Simon, 2018). This brand-new Boynton board book for little readers is a perfect early stocking stuffer for prepping youngsters for some of the big doings of the holiday season as they share the sweet seasonal events of December.

Snowbears! Bears in the Snow by Shirley Parenteau

HERE'S A BRIGHT RED SLED

ON A SNOWY DAY.

What's it waiting for?

What's a sled for if not for four fuzzy little bears to park their keisters on and make a downhill run!

But their first attempt is a fourfold flop!

Four plump bear-y bottoms don't quite fit. On the way down, one by one, the bear whose rear is... well, in the rear slips off and plops into the snow. Yellow is the first to go, then Floppy. Finally Fuzzy slips off, and Calico hits the snow. Only the sled arrives at the foot of the hill.

They try going down in bear pairs, but that means that two of them are always cooling their heels in the snow. It seems that there's no way they can all go together. That is, until Big Brown Bear comes outside to see what is going on. Right away he knows how they all can go in the snow.

AND SUDDENLY, PLOP!

BIG BROWN BEAR DOES A BELLY FLOP!

Four little bears get the idea immediately and they all--hop on pop!

On Big Brown Bear's wide and furry back they all slide down the big hill together, laughing all the way, sliding to their hearts' content, until someone catches a whiff of something....

IS THAT HOT CHOCOLATE?

Of course it is, in Shirley Parenteau's latest in her Bears in Chairs series, Bears in the Snow (Bears on Chairs) (Candlewick Press, 2017), in a wintry mix of a snow story just right for young snow goers, a bear tale that will have preschoolers on snow watch so that their fun can begin. Parenteau's rhymes charm, and David Walker's merry, pastel and plushy toy-like little bears are as cute as can be. Walker's illustrations set his softly-rounded little subjects off to good advantage in centered, oval spot-art style as Parenteau's story builds suspense, and then dramatically switches to full-bleed, two-page spread when there's plenty of action on the pages. A winter treat for the eyes and ears to entice toddlers and preschoolers to hit the slopes, or at least dream of snowy days ahead.

Other terrific tales for tots by Parmenteau and Walker are Bears in Beds, Bears and a Birthday (Bears on Chairs), Bears in a Band (Bears on Chairs) and Bears in the Bath (Bears on Chairs), as well as the lead-off title itself, Bears on Chairs. (reviews here)