JEANNETTE CLAUS SAVES CHRISTMAS

Jeannette’s the name, saving Christmas is the game. She's Santa’s strong-willed daughter, a girl with a spunky attitude and snappy comebacks like “jumping jingle bells” and “suffering sugarplums,” who jumps into action on Christmas Eve when Santa can’t go out due to a terrible cold. When the reindeer escape during the deliveries, Jeannette solves her problem by rounding up a team of stray dogs and cats that, through some mysterious Christmas Eve magic, can fly just like the reindeer. Jeannette gets a present herself: new pets. The tightly written story makes a great read-aloud, especially if Jeannette’s hilarious expressions are read with dramatic fervor. The volume’s jazzy design uses computer-generated art similar to that of J.otto Seibold, complemented by a nontraditional palette of cool blues and fall colors and an ultramodern typeface. Fresh and funny. (Picture book. 4-8)