A CHRISTMAS LIKE HELEN'S

Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, , illus. by Mary Azarian. . Houghton, $16 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-618-23137-9

Family history meets lyrical storytelling in Kinsey-Warnock's homage to her grandmother's childhood on a Vermont farm. Having a Christmas like Helen's means appreciating the wonders of nature, a close-knit clan and dear friends, in an age "before cars, telephones or electricity." Fun, love and respect permeate this volume, a reminder of the riches implicit in simpler holiday joys. Azarian's (previously paired with the author for From Dawn Till Dusk ) rough-hewn woodcuts gently washed in watercolors capture a rustic beauty. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

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