HOW MANY SLEEPS 'TIL CHRISTMAS?

This lively Christmas countdown begs to be chanted.

Narrated in the second person, the rhyming text introduces a community of people getting into the holiday spirit. Standard activities alternate with magical and silly ones. A choir is “warming your heart” with songs about snow and a magic sleigh ride. You’re buying presents, but “it’s the thought that counts” and the fun of giving. The first snow falls, families create decorations, children make gingerbread houses, and snowpals dance throughout the night. A White Santa oversees a racially diverse staff of elves racing to finish preparations for the big night as his reindeer practice “all their best moves.” Each quatrain ends with a refrain specifying the number of days left until Christmas, and the tabs, numbered from one to 10, invite readers to count along, giving the story as much momentum as the lead-up to Christmas Day. The colorful illustrations depict families with diverse skin tones and hair textures greeting each other and spreading the season’s cheer. This joyful celebration of the excitement of Christmas will strike a familiar chord with many young readers who relish the anticipation of the Christmas run-up. 

Fun for little ones learning to count and beginning to build their descriptive vocabularies.