cover image Home for Christmas

Home for Christmas

Jan Brett. Putnam, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-25653-0

Tired of being asked to do chores, Rollo, “a very wild troll,” runs away from home in Brett’s (The 3 Little Dassies) atmospheric holiday adventure. Set in the mountains of Sweden, the book introduces a cast of naturalistic woodland animals, portrayed in intricate detail in Brett’s watercolor and gouache paintings. As Rollo befriends various animal families (that more or less tolerate his presence), borders resembling birch bark depict the goings-on back home, where his family obviously misses him, and preview which creatures he will next encounter. The reformed Rollo’s homecoming, just in time for Christmas celebrations, is foregone yet no less heartwarming. Ages 3–5. (Nov.)