A CHRISTMAS LIKE HELEN’S

Kinsey-Warnock’s poetic, understated text proves to be well-suited to Caldecott Medalist Azarian’s subtle, hand-colored woodcut illustrations, in this second collaborative effort set in the Vermont farm country that both know from experience. This story describes a little girl’s life during the Christmas season around 1900, using the repeating structure of “To have a Christmas like Helen’s, you’ll have to . . . ” as a means of introducing all the different activities, types of work, and special experiences in her young life. Helen is the youngest of seven children, and her family’s tender love for their little girl is evident in their many caring ways, especially in the closing pages when Helen’s father takes her to the barn to see a newborn foal on Christmas Eve. Azarian is a master at capturing New England life in her woodcuts, showing the farmhouse, barn, one-room schoolhouse, and wintry white fields of Helen’s world. Her beautifully composed and carefully researched illustrations draw the reader into Helen’s era, into a quieter time of candlelight, sleigh bells, and family stories shared around the woodstove. (Picture book. 4-8)