Cowboy Christmas

For three cowboys out on the range, Christmas is looking mighty lonely. “‘No presents,’ said Dwight. ‘No stockings,’ added Darryl. ‘No Santy,’ groaned Dub.” As the cowpokes reminisce about the Christmas trees, cookies, and horses dressed as reindeer of their youths, camp chef Cookie suggests they create their own versions of those traditions. The results aren’t great (“charred sugar-molasses-bean cookies” are as bad as they sound), but a surprise visitor gives the cowboys a Christmas to remember. Sanders’s humorous, clipped prose and Manders’s loose, campfire-lit artwork are just right for the story’s down-and-dirty setting. As Dwight puts it, this one’s “a rip-roarin’ good time.” Ages 2–5. (Sept.)