The Stable Cat’s Christmas

A “small, plain, sand-colored cat” tries to identify a gift to give the newborn child in the stable where she lives, having been told that the baby is a “great king” who “will bring peace to all the world.” After conversations with a dog, cow, and donkey, the cat finds the child shivering in his manger. She snuggles up against the baby and later discovers that “everywhere the child had touched... were golden-orange stripes,” making her the world’s first tabby cat. It’s a quaintly old-fashioned story, both in the tone of Vrba’s narration (“The little cat felt a bit sad, for she wanted to see this king”) and in Yerrill’s animal-focused paintings, which highlight their brushy fur and big, bright eyes. The message that everyone, even the very small, has a gift to share won’t be lost on young readers. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)