First Christmas on the Farm

In Berry-Byrd’s exclamatory board book introduction to Christmas, winter weather and holiday traditions befuddle a trio of curious baby farm animals experiencing both for the first time. Questions quickly bubble up when a filly, a calf, and a piglet see something falling softly from the sky: “ ‘What is it?’ neighs the filly. ‘It melts on my tongue,’ moos the calf. ‘It’s pretty!’ oinks the piglet.” The farm’s elder statesman, a wise sheepdog, informs them that the white stuff is snow, then drops more knowledge as the pages turn, explaining myriad seasonal actions, including why the farm children appear to be walking on the pond and why the family drags a tree into their house. In Longhi’s friendly farmyard landscapes, the baby animals cheer their approval with each new discovery (“We like ice-skating!”), and by book’s end, readers may well join in their chorus: “We LOVE Christmas!” Ages 1–3. (Aug.)