cover image When, When, When Will It Be Christmas?

When, When, When Will It Be Christmas?

Cathy MacLennan. Boxer (Sterling, dist.), $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-907152-27-6

A frenetic, scattered energy drives MacLennan’s poem, which begins by celebrating holiday reds, whites, and greens before moving on to drum up excitement for decorating, present-wrapping, and a Christmas pageant: “Christmas stories and Christmas songs!/ Costumes! Scenes! And lights!/ A roll of the drum,/ And onto the stage... they come!/ What a spectacular Christmas show!” MacLennan’s characters include white mice in pink tutus, kittens, reindeer with holiday lights swirling around their antlers, and a multicultural crew of children. Her smudgy figures prance across solid backdrops, the bright palette dialing up the energy and sense of anticipation even more. It’s a lot of buildup, but the festivities of the final pages (“We’ve waited and waited and waited./ And... It’s the best Christmas ever!”) don’t disappoint. Ages 2–5. (Oct.)