In this German import, a sweet fairy named Faith gets lost in a snowy forest on Christmas Eve. She is helped by several friendly animals and then finds a frightened elf boy who is also lost. Together they meet Father Christmas, who takes them to the elves’ home on the back of his donkey. Faith is welcomed by the family and decides to spend the winter with them. Drescher’s charming illustrations capture the mysterious world of the fairy and her new elf friends, with evocative forest scenes of swirling snow and a cozy interior view of the Christmas celebration. The text fails to match the magical flow of the illustrations, with a rather pedestrian story written in an outdated, too-cute tone that would have benefited from fewer exclamation points. Nevertheless, a fairy in a red dress meeting Santa Claus offers an undeniable appeal, and the simple story is both easy and short enough for younger preschoolers. The overall effort definitely has a European feeling, with Father Christmas and his donkey and Faith’s Christmas gift of a nice hot-water bottle. (Picture book. 3-7)
