The Perfect Christmas Pageant

In this addition to Meyer’s Everyday Zoo series, Christmas is coming to the zoo, and Hayley Hippo has big plans for the holiday pageant she will direct. Last year the Bunny family set a high bar, with spectacular performances and a manger made of carrots. But when rehearsal is a disaster (Arnold the Aardvark rolls into a ball, among other things), Hayley despairs until she realizes that the original Christmas was also something of a mess for baby Jesus and his parents. Meyer offers a laugh-out-loud contemporary take on a familiar tale, and it’s fun to see Sullivan’s hippopotami, camels, and ostriches (who don’t typically get much holiday attention) get into the Christmas spirit. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)