The Twelve Days of Christmas in New England

In this addition to a long-running series of regional adaptations of this classic carol, a brown-skinned girl named Grace spends Christmas touring New England with her cousin Camden. For each of the 12 days, Camden introduces a New England–flavored surprise: they visit the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in Massachusetts, tour a lighthouse in Maine, and ride a dogsled in New Hampshire, all recapped à la the original song (“On the sixth day of Christmas, my cousin gave to me... 6 dogs a-mushing, 5 golden beams, 4 lobster rolls, 3 swift sleighs, 2 gauzy wings, and a blue jay in a spruce tree”). Grace excitedly documents the trip in letters to her parents, and while they read somewhat like fact-filled book reports, Woodruff’s cartooning adds a cozy note to this festive look at New England’s highlights. Available simultaneously: The Twelve Days of Christmas in Canada. Ages 5–up. (Oct.)