cover image Merry Christmas, Little Pookie

Merry Christmas, Little Pookie

Sandra Boynton. Little Simon, $5.99 (18p) ISBN 978-1-5344-3724-1

It’s Christmas Eve, and the eponymous porcine character is out the door as soon as snowflakes start to fall. Snowsuit-clad in festive colors, Pookie and Pookie’s mother walk in the snow until “our noses are frozen.” Next, the two make paper garlands, turn on Christmas lights, and bake cookies. After family and friends arrive for a sing-along, it’s time to hang stockings and head to bed: “Tomorrow is Christmas,/ and when it is light,/ we will open our presents./ But for now, it’s good night.” Boynton’s big-snouted pig characters and easy-to-read lines again provide a warm and gently humored outing. Up to age 5. (Sept.)