WILLY AND MAY

The adventures of a young girl (who narrates), her mildly eccentric Aunt May, and May's rascally canary, Willy. During their twice-yearly get-togethers, they sing along with the old Victrola, cool off (clothes and all) in the pond after a berry-picking session, decorate the yuletide tree, and tend Willy after particularly exuberant flights. When the girl's mother gets so sick that visits to Aunt May's are cancelled, May writes that she'll come to the narrator's house for Christmas, but a blizzard threatens that plan, too. She eventually hitches a ride in a sled overflowing with packages, but can't remember the driver's name afterward. The story is charmingly low-key--illustrated with cheerily quaint, yarn-bright watercolors--and feels less like a fantasy and more like everyday life. That may be why the introduction of a Saint Nick--like character is a little jarring. It's a minor quibble in light of Aunt May's established intrepidness. This mostly unassuming tale delivers plenty of joy on Aunt May's--and Santa's--coattails.