The Night of Las Posadas

Hispanic holiday customs take center stage in this exquisitely wrought story. Lupe and Roberto are to play Mary and Joseph in the Christmas pageant in their village outside Santa Fe, but their truck gives out in a snowstorm. A mysterious couple steps in at the last minute to take their places. DePaola's talent for crafting folktales is honed to near-perfection, and his pages glow with the soft sun-washed hues of the Southwest. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)