COCK-A-DOODLE CHRISTMAS!
by Will Hillenbrand & illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
Hillenbrand offers an amusing and original Christmas story for younger children, with the familiar setting of the stable in Bethlehem and a cast of farm animals. The winning main character is a scrawny young rooster named Harold, who has to take over the morning wake-up duties despite his timid voice. He is unsuccessful at crowing and waking the other animals, so the routine of the farm is upset and the animals are cranky. When the baby Jesus is born in the stable on the farm, Harold hears about the “Good News” from a shepherd. After meeting the Christ Child himself, the little rooster finds his own voice at last and feels empowered to develop his own loud announcement to the world about the news from the stable. The short story is smoothly told in energetic fashion, with lots of animal noises flowing across the page in enlarged, colored display type, and the explanation of the significance of the Nativity scene is particularly well-done. Hillenbrand’s illustrations in gouache, ink and collage feature large animals in deep earth tones contrasting well with the two appealing roosters in brilliant hues. (Picture book. 3-6)