Little Babymouse and the Christmas Cupcakes

All the hallmarks of the Holm siblings’ Babymouse graphic novels—vivid fantasy sequences, a drily funny narrator, and punchy cartooning—make their way to the irrepressible mouse’s first picture book. After Babymouse scarfs down the cookies meant for a certain jolly old elf, the narrator asks what she hopes Santa will bring her: “A nice tea set, perhaps?” No, Babymouse wants a suit of armor (“Because of all the dragons!” she explains, with more than a hint of scorn), and that means baking special cupcakes for Santa. But can they survive an encounter with a cranky baby brother turned dragon? That’s right, cupcakes and dragons—both featured elements in previous Babymouse books—are big, nontraditional parts of this story, which neatly avoids overfamiliar holiday territory while still highlighting the chaos of the days leading up to Christmas. Ages 3–7. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. (Oct.)