The ABCs of Christmas

September 26, 2016
Howarth (Jingle Bells) takes children on an alphabetical tour of Christmas through vintage-looking graphics that hark back to the work of Mary Blair and her contemporaries. The alliterative rhymes are well-constructed, though Howarth sometimes stretches to create holiday connections: “Angel singing sweet and clear./ Bunny biking far and near” (Howarth’s rabbit is dressed warmly for winter, and its bicycle has peppermint candy wheels, but still). Regardless, her handsome and boldly colored images of retro Christmas tree ornaments, an elf riding a reindeer rocking chair, a trim ice-skating Santa, and other recognizable holiday elements should please kids and design-minded parents alike. Up to age 3. Agent: Jennifer Nelson, Jennifer Nelson Artists.

January 1, 2017
Little ones are taught their ABCs with Christmas iconography.A CAT nibbles on a candy cane, and FOXES sing holiday carols, while LANTERNS glow and ORNAMENTS sparkle on festive trees. Christmas is in the air, and so are the letters of the alphabet. Each letter gets a corresponding Christmas illustration, charmingly colored and cozily composed. The easily read text beneath each picture forms rhyming couplets ("GEESE with gumdrops stacked up tall. / HOME is where we deck the halls"), with the key word set in all caps. The imagery mixes spiritual and secular icons side by side: there are baby JESUS, SANTA, the "Three kind KINGS," and (a little mystifyingly) "UNICORNS donning underwear." The warm color palette draws little readers in, and the illustrations have a gingerbread-cookie aesthetic, though there is no real attempt to include Christmas traditions such as luminaria from nondominant cultures. The picture that groups a stereotypical Eskimo, an igloo, and some penguins will madden many readers on both cultural and geographical fronts. A sweet but standard-issue Christmas read. (Board book. 1-3)

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