THE SNOW GLOBE

Forest creatures team up with an elf to make a present for the most generous person they know in this Christmas-themed picture book.

Bear, Fox, Penguin, Owl, and Reindeer find an ideal tree to display at the holiday market, inspiring them to get a gift for “our friend who believes that great joy comes from giving!” Though they search the market, they can’t find quite the right thing, so Penguin suggests they make something together. Each of the animals gathers materials, but they’re not sure how to put their individual pieces together until they recruit an elf at the holiday market to help with their plan. With some blown glass, the friends fashion a snow globe and a photo to collectively create the perfect present. Lockwood’s spare text relies on Golub’s painterly illustrations to tell the story. For example, Santa is never directly mentioned—but of course, young readers will realize early on who the animals want to surprise. Other details, like why the friends begin by harvesting a tree or where the story takes place, are all left for readers to interpret from the images. Golub uses textured brush strokes to create a sense of depth in her images and gives the human faces a more concrete realism than the animals. Maps on the beginning and endpapers show where all the animals live, and a well-described snow-globe craft offers readers a chance to make their own gifts.

A little confusing, this cozy Christmas tale emphasizes creative gift-giving.