review: We Love Christmas

We Love Christmas written and illustrated by Marilyn Janovitz. NorthSouth, 2007 (978-7358-2089-0) $9.95

Two kitten-kids enjoy the pleasures of waiting for Christmas in this happy little story. "We like ice. We like snow. We like making tracks wherever we go." "We like cookies. We like cake. We like eating what we bake." At the end of the book, they get into their Christmassy green-and-red pajamas, saying, "We like green. We like red. We like snuggling into bed. We like knowing Santa's near. Oh, we LOVE Christmas--and it's finally here!" Pen & ink and watercolor illustrations show active but uncrowded scenes that are easy on the eyes--that is, until the kittens go crazy getting into the Christmas ribbon! Toddlers will appreciate the repetition in the bouncy rhyming text, and it's short enough not to get boring for adults. In fact, this book makes me wish I still had a toddler to read to. (1-4)