Puppy’s First Christmas

A bright-eyed puppy is baffled when his human owners decorate a tree and nail their stockings to the wall. Luckily, the family’s pet cat is happy to fill him in: “ ‘Don’t worry, little Pup,’ said Cat,/ ‘this Christmas thing is fun./ And later, Santa Claus will come/ with gifts for everyone!’ ” Nearly every surface in Edgson’s paintings appears to be soft and cozy (the family’s Christmas tree looks as pillowy as the animals’ fur), and some of them actually are: red-and-white flocking on the cover and inside pages makes every Santa suit and hat soft to the touch. A sugar-sweet story of learning the Christmas ropes. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)