“THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS,” by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi, Henry Holt and Company for Young Readers, Oct. 25, 2011, $16.99 (ages 4 and up)
Eileen Spinelli and illustrator JoAnn Adinolfi, celebrate different Christmas traditions in their book, “The Perfect Christmas.”
Two families living right next to each other might as well be light years apart when it comes to Christmas traditions.
One family has a fresh tree with elegant trimmings. The other family: an artificial tree with missing limbs and homemade decorations.
Family one has decadent treats, well-behaved pets and glamorous relatives. Family two has just the opposite.
While one family listens to festive cello music, the other sings carols accompanied by the kazoo.
But when it snows, both families come together, laughing and dancing as flakes gently fall around them.
“The Perfect Christmas” celebrates just that — a perfect Christmas for each family’s taste. It points out there’s no one way to rejoice, rather it’s embracing the spirit of the holiday that’s important. Silly humor throughout the text and illustrations makes for a light-hearted read. And the collage art might prompt young artists to create illustrations of other family celebrations as well.
