cover image Coming Through the Blizzard: A Christmas Story

Coming Through the Blizzard: A Christmas Story

Eileen Spinelli. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, $16 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-689-81490-7

When a snowstorm blows into town, the narrator wonders who will come to the Christmas Eve service. The answer? Everyone! Donning scarves and skis, the congregation--furred and feathered, two-legged and four-legged--gathers at the little blue church. And when a shivering stranger in a tattered coat arrives (and is welcomed), it's truly Christmas. In a stylish debut, Tylden-Wright combines an up-to-the-minute use of perspectives and textures with the retro appeal of an old-fashioned Christmas card, blanketing the scenes from Spinelli's (When Mama Comes Home Tonight) rhythmic verse text in drifts of frosty white as light spills warmly from glowing candles and windowpanes. Ages 3-6. (Oct.)