The Twelve Days of Christmas

This is a collector's version of the old English carol and one of the truest to its literal meaning. Readers see gift after gift being rushed into a young woman's arms over the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany on January 6th. Brierley's cultivated style and esthetic sensitivity create a varied, welcome interpretation of the song. The maiden reacts with appropriate disbelief to the burgeoning list of presentsshe peers at the four calling birds, is awestruck by the nine drummers, looks faint at the sight of the 11 ladies, and finally, is suitably impressed by the harlequin-like lords a-leaping. This book is an elegant work, with subtleties that won't lost on children and beauty that won't be overlooked by adults. (6-10)