CHRISTMAS CAROL
by Sara Teasdale & illustrated by Dale Gottlieb
Gottlieb's boldly contemporary art (see Melrose Cooper's I've Got a Family, p. 719) pairs surprisingly well with Teasdale's verse (c. 1937); though traditional in form, her poem has a concise directness and energy that match the artist's simple forms, broad lines of rough black, and assertive colors. In several quatrains, kings, shepherds, wise men (here, different from kings), and angels come from different directions (``The shepherds came from out the north,/Their coats were brown and old;/They brought Him little newborn lambs—/They had not any gold'') and gather at the manger, where ``little Jesus fell asleep/Before the [angels'] song was done.'' An attractive addition for the Christmas shelf. (Poetry/Picture book. 2-7)