Minerva Louise continues her bird-brained approach to life in this latest installment in the successful series about the confused chicken. To Minerva Louise, Christmas lights are fireflies and a treetop angel is just another pretty white hen. She thinks Santa is a farmer in a red suit, the reindeer are goats wearing fancy party horns and the sleigh must be a truck whose wheels have fallen off. Minerva Louise follows Santa down the chimney into the farmhouse, misinterpreting each of his actions as he fills the stockings, eats his snack and distributes presents. When he offers her a present of her own, the cheerful chicken is thrilled with his gift, thinking the present is the box itself rather than its contents. The final page shows Minerva Louise making a nest out of the gift box. Stoeke’s bright and simple illustrations and the succinct, tongue-in-cheek text make this a good choice for a humorous addition to holiday storytimes. Preschoolers will enjoy the silly fun in Minerva Louise’s offbeat approach, and they will take pleasure in feeling intellectually superior to this comical but lovable “dumb cluck.” (Picture book. 3-6)
