The Days After Christmas

Rudd’s relatable second-person rhymes reflect on the quiet days after Christmas festivities, resulting in this gentle spin on the usual yuletide fare. A hint of melancholy emerges in early lines that describe the process of reverting to normalcy: farewells are said, decorations get boxed up, and the fridge is cleaned out. “You remember before/ when it was just beginning.// Now it all seems too finished,// too over, too ending.” Before sadness sets in, though, cozy moments and time outdoors in the snow invigorate—just the reset needed to help everyone cherish holiday memories while looking ahead. Mapping closely to the text, Chavarri’s jewel-colored renderings follow several families, depicted with a range of skin tones, as they move through the post-Christmas period and relish the remaining residue of holiday cheer. A craft concludes. Ages 3–6. (Sept.)