SNOWMEN'S TWELVE NIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS

The snowmen—whom readers may remember from Snowmen at Night (2002), Snowmen at Christmas (2005), and Snowmen All Year (2010)—are back.

Their latest adorable outing follows the structure (and the tune) of the classic song: “On the first night of Christmas / my dog chased up a tree / an elf with a present for me.” Accompanying images depict a snowdog chasing more and more snow creatures: “three merry mice,” “five carolers,” “eight prancing reindeer,” and more. The art features gently rounded shapes, deep blues, glowing yellow light, and sparkling white snow. More little stories unfold in the background—one spread features some curiously shaped clouds (is that a T. rex about to swallow an airplane?). The song concludes, “Now that we’re together / there’s one more thing to do— // Wish a very / merry Christmas // to you.” The dog throws a switch to light up the Christmas tree, which is so tall it requires a 90-degree page turn; the final page shows dog and snowman putting a card with a picture of the tree into an envelope addressed to “The Readers.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Another cute snowman story for those willing to sing along.