Golden Christmas Treasury

Lucretia Hale's Peterkins, Dickens's Cratchit family, Carolyn Haywood's Betsy and Clement Moore's St. Nickthese are some of the characters in this Christmas collection. Bunsen's choices will be mostly familiar to adults, perhaps new to children; they include ""A Visit from Saint Nicholas'' and ``The Twelve Days of Christmas.'' The full-color illustrations throughout are by eight different artists, ranging from Eloise Wilkin's rosy-cheeked children in ``Christmas ABC'' to Kathy Wilburn's glowing seasonal landscapes. Some of the pictures seem stiff or out of perspective, and this mars the effect of the treasury. Still, the book is a good idea for parents who want an inexpensive, cheerful volume of holiday favorites. (All ages