It can be hard to make a new picture-book version of this old Christmas chestnut stand out. This edition manages the feat through the combination of Puybaret’s deeply saturated, jewel-toned acrylics and the accompanying CD, which features the spoken-word narration of the late Mary Travers, with musical accompaniment from Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey, a sung version from Stookey and Peter, Paul and Mary's 1963 classic, "A'Soalin." Even soundless, the book’s a lovely one, the paintings infused with deep blue undertones that will prove restful in this relentlessly red-and-green season, composed with just-right whimsy (the reindeer all sport different types of hats, for instance) and depicting vaguely Tyrolean interiors that charm; page turns work smoothly with the familiar text. Add in the generous trim, and this one's worth making room for. (Picture book. 2 & up)
