Together at Christmas

Lee’s luminous paintings set the scene for Spinelli’s (The Perfect Christmas) graceful poem about 10 mice trying to stave off the cold on Christmas Eve. Hushed rhymed verse counts down as, one by one, the mice find warmth in such refuges as an abandoned nest, a milkweed pod, and an acorn shell. But “somehow it doesn’t feel quite right/ to be without one’s friends this night,” a dilemma the mice solve by “Singing carols in the snow./ Giggling under mistletoe,” and finding a spot big enough for all of them. The glow of moonlight is almost tangible, as it illuminates the snowy landscape dramatically. A cozy holiday book for icy nights. Ages 4–7. (Sept.)