cover image Arthur's Christmas Wish

Arthur's Christmas Wish

Sharon Wooding. Atheneum Books, $13.95 (30pp) ISBN 978-0-689-31211-3

Arthur is a fat mouse who is promised a Christmas wish from his fairy godfather. One provision: it has to make someone else happy, so Arthur requests the ability to play ""Spinning Song'' and ``Minuet in G'' on the piano for his mother, knowing that her happiness will show itself in the form of treats for him. He plays well and gets fatterand then gets roped into learning the Christmas music for the school pageant. Arthur knows he can't do it, until his fairy godfather tells him to try. Arthur practices, perfects the music, and finds out after the pageant that what he'd mistaken for the granting of a second wish was really his own skill and perserverance. The story is nice, althugh it could have taken place at any timethe Christmas setting seems insignificant. The pictures are in shades of brown, red, blue and green, and have a pleasant, old-fashioned look. (5-8)