Ollie is a gray-striped animal, perhaps a toy rabbit or zebra. He seems to live alone with his dog, Fred, but he does have a loving grandmother who bakes a Christmas cake with him. In the short, first-person narration, Ollie describes his preparations for the holiday. He and Fred set out a Nativity set, make their own decorations, trim their tree and spot Santa as he passes by in the sky. Each page has just a few words of rhyming text, set in a large font that looks like a child’s printing. Simple watercolor illustrations of the characters stand out against white backgrounds, extending the childlike simplicity of the effort. This would be an excellent choice for a toddler’s first book about the Christmas season and could also serve as an early reader. (Picture book. 1-6)
